Meant To Be
by fallingxforwardx
Summary: It was chance that we climbed that hill on the same night. It was coincidence that it happened again. However, sparking a friendship was a choice when change was invading both of our lives and we both needed someone to lean on. But falling in love, despite everything that was designed to keep us apart, simply made me believe that we were meant to be. Hollywood Heights. Loren Eddie
1. The Best Day of Your Life

**Hi everyone! Before you begin reading, I just want to clear a few things up because in my story a few things are different. For one, the song writing contest was never held. And another, Don and Nora have been together for about a year by the time Loren and Adriana start their senior year. I wanted to see what would happen if Loren was really just a normal girl when she met Eddie, no special treatment, no special circumstances, just fate and chance working their magic. I hope the changes don't scare you away and I hope you give the story a chance! Thanks! (P.S. I'm totally a Max/Nora shipper and that will play into the story eventually as well.)**

_"I'll show you how the birds learned how to fly,_

_Don't mind leaving your nest,_

_Don't mind making a mess,_

_This might be the best day of your life"_

_-The Best Day of Your Life by Katie Herzig_

When Don stood, all conversations ceased and all eyes shifted their gaze as my mom took her stance beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder while the other held her glass of wine. I hated how her body language verified her love for the man, mainly in the way she leaned into him as his hand rested on the small of her back. But she was happy. For the first time in over ten years, my mom was really and truly happy and for that reason alone, my opinion of Don was null and void and my opinion of Don's daughter Adriana was even less relevant. My mom was happy and so I too stopped mid sentence while talking to my best friend Melissa and turned my body towards my mom and Don who were gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

Don scanned the table as Mom lowered her head, blushing slightly from the sudden attention that was falling on her. "Thank you all" he said suddenly, taking Mom's hand in his. "All of you have played a role in this love story and I know I speak for both Nora and myself when I say that we couldn't be more thrilled that tomorrow you will all share in our day." Don gazed back at my mom "Tomorrow I marry the love of my life and tomorrow two families become one." At that his gaze fell upon both Adriana and I. "Adriana, Loren, would you two please stand?"

Adriana rose from her seat in a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. As always, she looked immaculate. Her sandy blonde hair was in waves, framing her face and her greenish-blue eyes were popping in contrast to the hot pink dress that was hugging every curve of her body. I felt dull in comparison as I rose from my own seat, with my hair in its everyday straight fashion and a powder blue, chiffon dress that fell just above my knees. Sometimes I really did feel envious of Adriana, and during those times I wanted nothing more than to slap myself for having such thoughts.

"Girls" my mom began, "the two of you are our worlds. You have both grown into such beautiful and strong young women and we couldn't be more proud" at that moment I locked eyes with my mom and smiled at her words. Then her eyes shifted to Adriana "Adriana, I know that I'm not your mom but I want you to know that I already love you like a daughter." Adriana made her way around the table and enveloped my mom in a hug, silently thanking her.

Sadly, I knew that my mom and Adriana had been bonding in the last few months. Mom seemed to think that Adriana simply needed a positive female role model in her life, and while I could see what she meant and I could understand it, I couldn't find it in me to allow that to justify any of Adriana's actions. So as everyone melted at the scene in front of them, I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Melissa however, did not. It was one of the reasons I loved her so much.

"And Loren," my train of thought broke at the sound of my name. "Every day I grow more and more in awe of you" Don said. "You are such a bright and driven young lady and I will be honored to call you family." Feeling as if it was expected, I walked over to Don and gave him a gentle hug. The small crowd of people began to applaud but as I looked over at Melissa and our friend Adam, I saw that Mel looked about ready to pounce on Adriana, who was still hugging my mom and Adam was sending me a sympathetic look as I pulled away from my soon-to-be step father.

"Thank you, to all of you" Mom continued as she and Adriana pulled apart. "We can't wait to unify our love in front of all of our family and friends tomorrow."

"Cheers!" Don shouted as he lifted his wine glass and took a hearty sip; everyone following suit.

Then, as Mom, Don, Adriana and I once again took our seats, dessert was served. Melissa and I both chose the tiramisu while Adam took a large slice of blueberry cheese cake and swiftly shoved a fork full into his mouth. "You still don't like him do you?" Melissa asked as she took a bite of her dessert.

I placed my fork on my plate and leaned my body closer to hers, so that I could keep my voice lowered, "It's not that." I assured her as her eyebrows shot up accusingly, "Something about him just doesn't sit well with me."

Mel nodded in understanding and leaned into my ear "And he's responsible for the existence of Adriana."

I was about to deny her words, but there was no point "That doesn't help" I admitted.

"I know" Melissa agreed readily. We both glanced over at Adriana who had declined dessert and was instead talking her boyfriend Phil's, ear off. "Those two are so perfect for each other" Mel said as she rolled her eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh at Melissa's bitterness, "And lucky me, I get to deal with them twenty-four seven after tomorrow."

"That's right, the impending move" Adam chimed in after downing his cake. "How are feeling about moving into the Masters mansion?"

"Elated" I replied, allowing the sarcasm to drip heavily from my lips before filling my mouth with dessert and stopping myself from saying anything further about Don and his demon of a daughter.

At the end of the night, the dozens of candles that were placed around the table were barely continuing to flicker. Empty plates were being cleared by staff members of the restaurant who seemed relieved that our party was finally beginning to leave, as we had stayed well past closing and I assumed that they were all happy to finally be able to go home. Mom and Don were standing outside talking to the last two guests, who I assumed were clients of Don's. Melissa and Phil had both left separately, with Mel driving Adam home and Phil offering to take Adriana home, to which Don firmly declined. Instead Adriana and I were both leaning up against Don's car, waiting for our parents, she typing away frivolously on her phone and I staring up into the Hollywood hills, feeling them calling out to me.

Mom and Don began to make their way over to us, hand in hand, both grinning from ear to ear. "Did you girls have fun?" Mom asked as they reached the car.

"It was great" Adriana stated, briefly glancing up from her phone and then she placed all of her attention back onto the tiny screen.

I nodded in agreement, "It really was, but I'm so full now."

Mom laughed and held a hand to her stomach "So am I, I should have skipped dessert."

Don chuckled and kissed the top of Mom's head "Shall we get going? We have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes we do." Mom lost herself in Don's baby blues all over again.

"Actually, I was going to go for a walk, if that's okay?" I asked my mom who I could see was hesitating a little so I pulled my cell phone out of my purse, "I have my phone, it's fully charged and I have money for a cab. If I need you I promise to call. Please, Mom?"

Mom knew where I was going; she had always known where I went when I needed time to myself. So even as Don spoke up voicing his concerns about my going off alone at night, Mom spoke up and told him that it was okay. "If I call you, I don't want your phone to pass the second ring and I want you home by midnight, okay?"

"I promise" I kissed her cheek and then reached into the back seat of Don's car so that I could grab my converse sneakers and jean jacket before saying goodnight to everyone. Then I made my way towards the restaurant so that I could sit on the bench in front and change out of my heels where I watched as the three of them drove off.

I reached my spot in hills in a little over half an hour. The city lights in the valley below would always block out the shine from the stars but up here, those stars were able to shine. It was one of the reasons I loved to come up here, nothing was blocked. Nothing was hidden. It was the one place where my thoughts ran free, where I didn't hold back. Sometimes I would come up here to simply smile after a good day, and other times I would sit up here, lean against the tree and cry. And then there were the days like today, where I didn't want to smile and I didn't need to cry but I just needed some clarity.

The idea of moving into the Masters' mansion brought up such dread. Tomorrow night, I would sleep in my new room. Don had been kind enough to have it re-painted a warm cranberry colour that I had chosen. My closet was large enough to be my actual room, which excited Melissa to no end but only made me wonder how I could possibly, ever fill it. And when he offered to buy me a new bed I had refused. I needed some familiarity in my new life.

After growing exhausted by my thoughts I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone and headphones and pressed play on my iPod where Eddie Duran's voice then wiped any and all thoughts from my head. Every note pulled me further away from worry, every lyric calmed my racing heart, his music, as cheesy as it sounded, spoke to me. It made me feel alive.

I had made it halfway through his first album when I felt a presence behind me and I looked over my shoulder. I pulled my headphones out of my ears and stared in shock as the person stepped into sight, nervously scratching the back of his neck "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was up here" he said in his sing song voice.

Eddie Duran was apologizing to me. Had Adriana slipped something into my drink at dinner? I wondered to myself. Was I hallucinating? I realized that I felt perfectly fine, but I don't think I had blinked since I laid eyes on him. "It's okay" I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

I could tell, that he could tell, that I recognized him and I could tell that that fact made him a little uncomfortable, "Well, I'll leave you alone." And he turned to walk away.

"No, you don't have to" I shouted after him, which caused him to turn around. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second embarrassed, "I mean…I don't want my completely humiliating fan girl moment to scare you away, sorry."

Eddie laughed and started back towards me, "It didn't and it's okay. I just honestly, didn't expect anyone to be up here, it's kind of my spot." He admitted as he stopped walking just before the curb.

"It's my spot" I replied, "I've been coming here for years."

"So have I" and I believed him. We both stared at each other for a minute in surprise before laughing simultaneously. "I'm Eddie" he introduced himself, politely as he moved closer to me and reached his hand out to me.

I reached up, taking his hand in mine, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach, "I know. I'm Loren."

"It's a pleasure to meet you" he said as he squeezed my hand before releasing it. "Do you mind if I…?" He gestured to the ground beside me.

"Not at all," so I grabbed my purse and moved it to my other side, making room for him.

"So, what brings you up here so late at night?" He asked as he crossed one ankle over the other and leaned back on his elbows.

Tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear, I let out a heavy sigh "It's a long story. What about you?"

"It's a long story" he replied. Silence overcame us for a few minutes as we both looked down into the valley, taking in the silence of the hill and the cool night air that was almost tangible. "How did you find this place?"

I looked at Eddie briefly before focusing back down on the city lights "When I was really little, my dad brought me up here to watch a meteor shower. I've been coming up here ever since." I caught his gaze and blushed a little, still overwhelmed by his presence "What about you?"

Eddie sat up and began to pick some of the grass surrounding him "We used to live just down the hill. I used to hike up here all of the time. I guess old habits die hard."

"Yeah…"

"Are you okay?" I met his gaze, "You look upset" he explained.

I smiled weakly, down casting my eyes "I usually am when I come up here." His eyes began to burn a hole in the side of my face so I lifted my eyes once again, "It's just family stuff, though."

Eddie shook his head "It's never _just_ family stuff. That stuff is the heaviest." I nodded in agreement "Do you want to talk about it?"

I let out a short laugh "Eddie Duran wants to hear about my problems?"

Eddie just shrugged "Why not? It's probably easier to talk to a stranger."

"You're not exactly a stranger," I countered causing his eyebrows to pull together in confusion. "I've had your poster on my wall for the better part of my teenage years and my Mom had your parents on her wall before that, so…"

Eddie just laughed at my confession "That's pretty cool." I joined in the laughter, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "Which poster?"

Burrowing my face in my hands I replied "The one with the umm…the jacket." I ran my fingers through my hair pushing it back and away from my face.

"Ah, that's a good one" and he chuckled once more. "Seriously though, if you want to talk about it…"

"That goes both ways," I told him. He nodded before going silent and I followed suit for a few minutes. I could tell something was really bothering him, but I didn't want to pry, I didn't want to scare him off. "Are you good with change?" I asked suddenly.

He turned to look at me, "What do you mean?"

I lied back, staring straight up at the stars, "My whole life is going to change tomorrow, and I don't know how to handle it. I like things the way they are now."

Eddie lied down beside me, "When my mom died, my whole world shifted and I hated it. My career was taking off and all of my dreams were coming true but I would have given it all up to have her back and I still would. I wasn't prepared for that change in my life, but it sounds like you've had time to think about the change in yours."

"Yeah, I guess" suddenly my problems seemed so insignificant.

"Can I ask what this change is?"

I turned my head to its side so that I was looking at Eddie and saw that he was looking back at me, "My mom's getting married tomorrow."

Eddie rolled onto his side, "And you don't approve of the guy?"

I shook my head "It's not that exactly. I don't disapprove, it's just that…there's something about him that…I don't know, I guess I just don't know him that well maybe."

"No, there's something there, what is it?"

I bit my lip in concentration, trying to pin point a certain characteristic or trait but I couldn't. "I really don't know what it is. I guess it doesn't help that his daughter and I don't get along, so that just complicates things."

"And tomorrow she becomes your sister?"

I could feel my face tighten, as if I had just sucked on something sour "Step sister."

Eddie smiled at my correction "How old is she?"

"Eighteen, same as me" I answered. "We've known each other since kindergarten and we've despised each other since then too."

"Can I give you some advice?"

I could feel my eyebrows shoot up to my hair line "Advice from Eddie Duran? I'm not going to say no to that."

He chuckled lightly "Take it one day at a time. Tomorrow focus on the wedding, don't worry about your step sister, or how you're all going to live under one roof. Just have fun, dance a little, or a lot, and eat too much cake. Then wake up the next morning, and figure it out one step at a time. You'll drive yourself crazy if you start living for the future. Just live for the present."

I rolled my head back to stare back at the stars "That's pretty good advice Duran."

"Oh, see now that's not fair" Eddie teased "you can't last name me if I don't even know yours."

"Tate, Loren Tate" I told him as started to connect the dots in the sky, putting together constellations.

I sensed that Eddie had started to gaze up at the stars as well, as silence fell upon us. Both of us were breathing steadily, lost in our own thoughts, going over our own situations in our heads or desperately trying to forget them.

Out of the blue I heard Eddie begin to sing, and realized that my phone was ringing. I sat up and pulled my phone out of my purse, "Hello?"

"Hey sweetie," my mom's voice was no different than usual, telling me that this wasn't a frantic call to see if I was okay, but that she was just checking in. "You've been out for over two hours and I just wanted to check up on you." I could feel Eddie's eyes silently questioning.

"I'm fine, I promise" I told her. "You don't have to wait up for me, I'll be home soon."

Mom sighed, "I don't want to go to bed until I know you're safe and sound. You know that."

"Well, I'm on my way right now" I assured her as I secured my purse over my shoulder and slowly began to stand. Eddie followed suit, getting to his feet and stuffing his hands inside his pockets.

"Okay, do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, it's okay, I can grab a cab."

"Are you sure?"

I laughed lightly, "I'll be fine Mom, really."

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you too. Bye." With that I hung up my phone and tossed it into my purse before looking up and meeting Eddie's eyes "That was my mom, she wants me home."

Eddie nodded "Are you two close?"

"Yeah we are" I smiled, "I guess that's part of my problem with Don, her fiancé. I don't think anyone will ever be good enough for her."

"I'm sure she feels the same way about you" Eddie recanted, causing a warm blush to sweep its way across my cheeks. "Hey, I couldn't help but overhear that you were going to take a cab home?"

I adjusted the strap of my purse, and un-tucked the hair behind my ear "Yeah, it's late and I didn't want my mom to have to come get me. She has a big day tomorrow."

"Well, it's pretty late. I don't want you walking around down town by yourself. Why don't you let me give you a ride, my car's just at the bottom of the hill."

To say I was shocked by this offer would be an understatement "It's really okay, I've done it before."

Eddie took his hands out of his pockets, his right hand holding his keys "Humor me." He said with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

I opened my mouth to protest but closed it again realizing that if Melissa were here she'd slap me just for considering passing up an opportunity to spend another twenty minutes with Eddie. So I nodded, accepting his offer and following him down the hill.

His car was black and sleek, and I assumed it was some sort of sports car. He walked with me to the passenger side of the car and the opened the door for me. "Thanks" I said softly before he closed the door and ran around to the driver's side and climbed inside as I buckled my seatbelt and watched him do the same.

"So where am I going?"

"Oh, just start heading south on Sunset" he nodded and started the car up. The radio came to life and coincidently Eddie's song _Something in the Air_ was playing and I saw him absentmindedly reach to change the station. I slapped his hand away before he got to it and he quickly shot me an amused smile "I like this song."

He laughed and held his hand up in defense "Sorry, you're the lady. You control the music."

I couldn't help but grin "Does Chloe let you change the station when your songs come on?"

I saw his smile drop at the mention of her name but decided it wasn't my place to ask questions "She's not really into music."

"Oh," I found that a little strange, "I can't imagine that. Music's gotten me through some pretty trying times; your music, actually."

And finally that beautiful smile was back on his gorgeous face "That means a lot, thanks Loren."

I smiled at the sound of my name trickling from his lips "Thank _you_," I replied before directing him onto my street.

"For what?"

"For writing music, for the advice tonight and for the ride home, you've surpassed any expectation I ever had of you." When I pointed to my house Eddie came to slow stop and parked in front of the walkway. I rested my hand on the handle of the car door, "Seriously though, thank you for everything. This night was exactly what I needed."

"Same here," he replied "it was nice to have a normal conversation with someone for a change. No business talk or publicity or paparazzi. It was real. I've missed that. So thank you Loren Tate."

"It was my pleasure Eddie Duran. Goodnight." I pulled down on the handle and pushed the door open but before closing the door I leaned my head back inside "Do you mind if I repay the favor and give _you _some advice?"

Eddie smiled "Sure."

I down casted my eyes, hoping that I wasn't speaking out of turn "Twenty four hours to think about it, forty eight hours to act on it and then you have to let it go."

"What?" Eddie looked genuinely confused.

"It's something my mom told me once. Basically, regardless of whatever's going on between you and Chloe, you should take no more than twenty four hours to think about it and no more than forty eight hours to go and talk to her. After that you should start over. Otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy thinking about it" I explained.

Eddie nodded as he began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel "Sometimes it doesn't feel like it's that easy."

I shrugged, "Maybe not, but it's a good guideline."

"Yeah, your mom's a smart woman" he replied.

"Yeah, she is. Well, I'll let you go. Goodnight, again, Eddie."

"Goodnight Loren" and then I closed the car door and made my way to the front door and I was correct in assuming that it was unlocked, meaning that my mom was still awake, waiting up for me. After pushing the door open I saw Eddie begin to drive away and smiled shyly at the fact that he had waited for me to get inside before leaving.

"Loren?" I heard my name called and saw my mom come out of her room, now in a pair of pajamas and her hair out of its French Twist and instead flowing over her shoulders. "How was your walk?"

A part of me wanted to tell her everything that had happened tonight, but for some reason, a bigger part of me wanted to keep tonight to myself. It was a small treasure, that was all my own. "It was…perfect. It was exactly what I needed."

"Good" she replied before kissing the top of my head. "I'm going to head to bed now okay? And you should be heading there soon too?"

"I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweetie." Then she walked down the hall and into her room before closing her door and I saw her light go out.

I tossed my jacket onto the couch and then made my way to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I opened my laptop and instantly logged into twitter and clicked on Eddie's page to discover that he hadn't tweeted since I checked this morning.

Then, on a whim, or just for the hell of it, I typed his twitter name into a new message and posted it.

realeddieduran Thanks for the advice Eddie. The present is a gift after all, is it not?

I knew the chances of him seeing it were slim to none, but still. I then got changed and brushed my teeth, all the while humming Eddie's songs to myself. Before getting into bed I refreshed my twitter page, simply to see if the impossible had occurred and there it was in black and white. He had replied with:

loveto_love_you That it is. Good luck tomorrow and thank you for everything. I mean it.

Then I noticed that my followers had increased by one. I timidly clicked on my followers list, thinking that what I was thinking couldn't be true but again, plain as day, my wildest dreams were answered. Eddie Duran was following me on twitter.


	2. You've Got This Hold On Me

"_When there's nothing left to say will you still be listening_

_Will you help me stand when I'm bent and breaking?"_

_-You've Got This Hold on Me by Cassidy Ford_

When my alarm went off, I wanted nothing more than to throw it cross the room, throw my covers over my head and delve back into the sweet dreamland that had been my reality for the past seven hours. However, my perfectly executed plan was thrown aside as a familiar voice called my name from the other side of my bedroom door. I heard the door creak open slightly and slowly peeled both eyes open, squinting into the bright morning light that was seeping its way through my curtains.

"Lo, what are you still doing in bed?" Melissa climbed into the bed with me, leaning up against the headboard. Her hair was up in hot rollers and her dress was in a bag that was lying across her lap. "Lo?"

I made an incoherent noise and slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position "What time is it?"

Melissa looked behind me at my alarm that was still going off in a fit "Six."

"And the sun's up? It's too early" I told her plainly as I rolled over to hit the off button on the alarm, bringing the room to a sudden silence. "What are you doing here so early?"

Melissa narrowed her eyes at me, taking me aback slightly. "Oh, I don't know Loren. Maybe I wanted to see how your night was last night. Doing anything interesting after I left?" The sarcasm in her voice was sharp and dry.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and let out a big yawn "What do mean?"

Melissa stared at me in disbelief before jumping off of the bed, grabbing my laptop from my desk and then retaking her seat. She pulled up twitter and pointed to the tweet exchange that had taken place between Eddie and I last night. It took me a minute of stunned silence to realize that last night had actually happened. It wasn't a dream. "Care to explain?"

I broke my concentration from the screen and met Melissa's questioning gaze "It was just a tweet."

"You're a horrible liar" she countered quickly.

I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my lips and buried my face in my hands. "I may have hung out with him last night" I mumbled before slowly lifting my head to see Melissa's socked and stone faced stare. "I went for a walk after dinner and ran into him, or rather he ran into me; sort of…" I trailed off in a brief faze of thought before shaking my head and continuing "Anyway, we met, we talked and he drove me home."

"He d-" Melissa stumbled with her words before taking a deep breathing and motioning me to continue.

I shrugged my shoulders not really knowing what else there was to stay. "He could tell I was pretty upset and I told him about my reservations about the wedding and how I was dreading the changes it was going to bring and he gave me some really good advice." I had never seen Melissa still or heard her silent for so long. "I tweeted him a thank you after he dropped me off. I didn't think he'd see it, much less respond to it."

Finally Melissa snapped back to being Melissa, "Respond?" Melissa was laughing now and once again gesturing to the computer screen, "Lo, not only did he respond to you in a way that made you sound like old friends but he followed you back. Now, your followers list has increased by hundreds because people think you're friends with Eddie Duran!"

I shot her a confused look before clicking onto my home page and seeing that my followers had jumped from five to over four hundred "Wow."

By the time seven rolled around I knew I had to shower and start getting ready so I left Melissa to 'tinker' with my twitter account, as she put it. Apparently now that I actually had a following on twitter I needed to 'spiff up' my profile?

After blow drying my hair and throwing my own hot rollers into it, I went back into my room, my fluffy white robe tied around my small frame. "Okay," Melissa began as I retook the seat beside her on my bed, "I've added more to your bio, and changed your profile picture. What do you think?"

I skeptically took my laptop from her "Was that really necessary?"

Melissa rolled her eyes "You needed an upgrade Lo, especially now that people are actually interested in you."

"Oh, thanks" I replied dryly.

Mel simply waved me off with a small gesture of her hand "You know what I mean. Now, what do you think of the picture? It was between this one and the one of you stuffing your face with cotton candy on the Santa Monica pier the other week. I thought one was a little classier."

I recognized the picture from a Christmas party Melissa's parents had thrown. In it my hair was straight and down, my makeup was done a little more than usual and I was wearing a red top that Melissa had bought for me. I noticed that she had cropped herself out of the picture so that it was only me in it but still, I liked it.

The rest of the morning flew by. Mom had come in at around eight to let us know that breakfast was ready and while my head was reeling, Mom seemed perfectly fine. Calm even. When we were finished, Melissa and I took turns doing each other's makeup and fixing each other's hair. Then we both went to work on my mom. Melissa threw Mom's hair up into an elegant up-do and I did her makeup, following a step-by-step guide that she had found in one of her bridal magazines.

Then it was time. Mel and I disappeared into my room to change into our bridesmaid dresses while Mom went to put her gown on. The bridesmaid dresses that Melissa, Adriana, Ellie and I would be wearing were an eggplant colour with a baby doll silhouette, sweet heart neckline and empire waist accentuated with black beading. They were pretty and simple but yet classic.

When we walked back into the living room, we already had our black strappy heeled sandals on and our clutches in our grip. We both took a seat on the sofa; Melissa crossed one knee over the other as she leaned back into the cushions and I crossed my ankles as my head rolled onto her shoulder to rest.

"Are you going to message Eddie again?" Mel asked in a hushed tone, noting the stillness that had overtaken the house.

I sighed deeply as I removed a strand of hair that had fallen in my face "No, I don't want to annoy him. It was a onetime thing."

"You're inner fan girl is embarrassed for you right now, Lo."

I smiled lightly "No, after last night, she's good."

"I can't believe that you met and hung out with Eddie Duran" Melissa exclaimed.

"I can't believe that you believed me so easily when I told you I hung out with Eddie Duran" I fired back amused.

Melissa leaned her head against mine "I know when you're lying."

Then, we heard Mom's bedroom door open and both jumped up, onto our feet. I was there when Mom bought the dress but today it looked different, or maybe Mom was different. She was glowing. The snow white dress fell in a beautiful A-line fashion. The empire bodice bunched together in a twist style with a touch of crystals that continued up the sweetheart neckline and sparsely on the single shoulder strap.

"Mom" I breathed softly as I made my way toward her. Yes, she was positively glowing.

"Is it okay?" Her face dropped instantly as she scanned her body, trailing the tips of her fingers over the bodice and skirt, looking for any imperfection.

I grabbed her hands to still her motions and smiled brightly "You look stunning." Her face instantly relaxed and a very un-subtle smile pulled at her lips. "It's perfect. You're perfect."

"She's right Nora, you look…incredible" Melissa added, her voice in awe before the doorbell rang. "That must be the limo driver, I'll get it." Melissa walked to the door to answer it and Mom and I took a collective deep breath before following Melissa and the driver out into the car.

In the moments leading up to the ceremony, Adriana was looking in a window, attempting to see her reflection and fix her hair while Mom was shaking her hands and trying to steady her breathing. All the while Ellie held onto her bouquet. Melissa was leaning against a pillar, her eyes focused solely on the clock across from her. I on the other hand was too lost in thought to be anxious, nervous or bored.

All I could think about was Eddie. The sound of his voice, the way his eyes cheated him when he tried to hold back emotion, his grin and laugh and his nervous habit of scratching the back of his neck. But above all, I thought of how comfortable I felt with him. How safe. Maybe it was just the fan girl in me or maybe we had connected on a level that neither of us could really understand. After all, he didn't have to reply to my tweet. He could have pretended to have never seen it. And he certainly didn't have to follow me. But he did. Maybe it wasn't all in my head. Maybe, last night, Eddie had felt that same security.

My thoughts were thrown aside as the wedding planner came around the corner, the groomsmen behind her, and motioned us all into a line, and seconds later the wedding march began. Ellie was first, along with a client of Don's. Then Adriana and Henderson, her father's best friend and following them was Melissa and Adam, who Don had chosen as a groomsman at the last minute when his brother informed us that he would be unable to attend. Finally it was just Mom and me. Because Mom's parents were in Europe for the month they were unable to come, and while I could tell that Mom was upset by their lack of support on her marriage, I felt so honored to walk her down the aisle.

Our walk was slow and steady. Hundreds of piercing eyes were on us but we kept our pace, one foot in front of the other, before we came to the end and I kissed Mom's cheek before Don took her hand.

The ceremony was fairly quick, and beautiful. Mom and Don recited their own, personal vows before exchanging rings and when the ceremony was over, Adam extended an arm to both Melissa and I and we walked back down the aisle to a beautifully played piano piece.

Mom and Don ventured off together for the afternoon before the reception. Adam and Melissa had invited me out for lunch with them but I told them that I needed some time to myself before the reception and they understood instantly. As much as I tried not to look past the present, the inevitable was that after this afternoon, everything was going to change and right now, I needed time to myself. Time with pure silence and peace and I would only have a few hours before I would be expected to arrive at the hall.

Naturally, I made my way up the Hollywood hills and up towards my spot. What I didn't expect was to see someone already there, back against the tree, legs extended forward with his ankles crossed. "Eddie?"

Eddie's head instantly whipped around at the sound of his name and a small smile made its way onto his face "Hey there."

"What are you doing up here?"

"It's my spot" he replied, a cheeky grin on his face. "What about you? I thought you had a wedding?"

I made my way closer to him but continued to stand as I took in the view. "I did, well do. We're in that awkward stage between the ceremony and the reception. And I just wanted to be alone for a little while."

Eddie nodded before adjusting his baseball cap and then unzipping his sweat shirt and placing it on the ground next to him "Here" he said as he patted the now covered ground.

I smiled gratefully before taking a seat and hugging my knees to my chest "You're a true gentleman, you know that?" At those words, I swear I saw Eddie blush. "So what are you doing up here? Did you work things out with Chloe?"

"Yeah" Eddie sighed, removed his cap and worked a hand through his hair seemingly contemplating the past couple of hours, since we had last spoken. "We broke up, actually."

And like that, I saw any bit of light that had once been present in his eyes vanish into the depth of his pupils and wash away with the thin layer of tears that now coated the warm chocolate orbs. "Eddie…I am so sorry." And I meant it. I hated that he was hurting. He didn't deserve this kind of pain. He had proposed to this girl, had promised to marry her. He had pictured a lifetime with her and within the time it takes to snap your fingers, it was all gone.

Eddie shook his head, unwilling to accept my apology "Don't be, I found out that basically everything in our relationship had been a lie."

"What do you mean?" I hoped I wasn't prying, but I could tell that it was all eating him up inside and figured he could use a friend or at least an acquaintance of some sort.

"You really want to know?" He almost looked surprised.

I shrugged my shoulders "I don't want to stick my nose into something that isn't any of my business but I know that talking things out can help and I just want to help, I don't like to see you so hurt."

Eddie turned towards me more, leaning in slightly "You know I almost get the feeling that you're saying that more as a friend than a fan."

"Can't I be both?" I asked without missing a beat, surprising both Eddie and myself with my sudden boost of confidence.

A warm smile slowly crept onto Eddie's face before he leaned back against the tree. "Chloe cheated on me" he said suddenly. I had a feeling that he wasn't done so I stayed silent. "She had been cheating on me for a long time and apparently she never loved me. I was just a step in the ladder on her climb to fame and Hollywood. It was all just a big joke."

My heart reached out to him but I stayed still. "No it wasn't" I whispered, my voice failing to go any louder, "it meant something to you. You proposed to her, you loved her. It meant something to you."

Eddie nodded his head curtly "So I'm the big joke."

Then, without thinking, I reached out to him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "No, Eddie you're not." He titled his head to the side to look at my hand but I didn't move it. Instead I squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and I was more than a little surprised when he raised a hand gently placing it over top of mine, keeping it in place. "You loved her. You loved enough to give your whole heart away and because of that you're one of the bravest and gentlest souls I know. I know it sucks that it had to end in heartbreak, but at least you know you're capable of that kind of love."

"I don't think I'll ever let myself become that vulnerable again" he countered.

"Maybe, maybe not" I replied, as the heat from his hand sent electric waves through my body. "But I wouldn't rule it out because one day you could meet the one, the _real_ one and letting her slip through your fingers just because you're scared, would be nothing short of a tragedy."

Eddie's eyes locked with mine, his breathing a little staggered and his eyes sparkling a little more than normal, telling me that his tears were barely hanging on. "Do you really believe in all of that true love talk?"

I smiled and rolled my eyes playfully at him "How could I not? Thanks to my mother I grew up watching your parents and _that_ was true love. That I have no doubt about."

Eddie's smile faltered only slightly at what I said. "You know my dad tried to warn me about Chloe and I just…brushed him off. I nearly ruined my relationship with him in order to keep my relationship with her. How messed up is that?"

The insecurity in his voice told me that his question was anything but rhetorical. "That's the great thing about parents, they love us, they try to protect us and even when we throw their advice aside and completely mess up they still, for whatever reason, forgive us." At this point I removed my hand from his shoulder, "I guarantee that if you just go and talk to him, tell him you're sorry and that you love him, you'll be forgiven."

"Are you sure you're only eighteen?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his question "Unfortunately." Then I opened my clutch to check the time and realized I had hours before I had to be at the reception hall.

"Do you need to go?"

I lifted my eyes to meet his and smiled gently "No, and I'm starving. Dinner is still a few hours away." Eddie jumped to his feet and extended a hand down towards me "What are you doing?"

"You're starving, I'm starving and my favourite restaurant makes the best Quesadilla in all of Los Angeles. Are you in?"

My heart nearly stopped beating or jumped right out of my chest. I couldn't really tell but I reached my arm up and took hold of his hand "Okay, but I don't know how much more walking I can do in these shoes." I gestured down to the four inch strappy sandals that I was now regretting.

Eddie laughed, his hand still holding onto mine "My car is just down the hill, same place it was last night and I promise to park in front of the restaurant."

We started our descent down the hill, Eddie's hand firmly grasping mine, as we walked the loose gravel road. "Remind me to invest in those fast flat things that I saw on TV."

"What made you hike up here in heels anyway? The ceremony couldn't have been that bad" he said as he grabbed onto my waist to help me through a twist in the road.

"It wasn't" I replied as I received confirmation on my heart beating out of my chest. "But I'm going to spend the whole night pretending that I'm blissfully happy for Don and my mom and I just wanted a few hours where I didn't have to pretend."

Eddie stopped suddenly, still holding onto me "What is it about this guy that you don't like? Has he done anything to your mom or to you?" Eddie's voice was questioning but his eyes were smoldering, obviously preparing for the worst.

I shook my head, slightly embarrassed that I had led him to believe that "No it's just a funny feeling. I can't really explain it."

"An instinct" He stated as he continued to move.

"Exactly."

When we reached his car, he once again opened and closed the passenger door for me before climbing in himself. And then we took off down the road, back into the city. And being the sweet, gentleman like character that he was, he once again gave me control over the radio.


	3. Once Was Love

**I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you who have read, followed, reviewed, and added this story to your favourite list so far. I am blown away by the positive response I have received. So thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am deeply touched that you have taken the time to read this story. I hope you continue to enjoy!**

"_Everyone is hurting now and everything is burning down"_

_-Once Was Love by Ingrid Michaelson_

Once we had arrived at the restaurant Rumor, Eddie requested his usual table which was pushed up against a wall instead of a window, and out of the way as to not draw too much attention or be directly in anyone's line of vision. I wasn't surprised when Eddie pulled the chair out for me, or when he pushed it in after I sat. I suppose I had grown accustom to his chivalry.

Neither of us opened the menus right away, instead we talked. We touched on the Chloe situation and he told me everything that she had done. How she had lied about her mother being dead and where she was from, to her affair with Tyler Rorke that had been going on for, God only knows how long. He told me more about his dad's suspicions of Chloe from the beginning and how humiliated he was over what had happened and how embarrassed he was going to be if the media got wind of the story.

I told him more about Don and Adriana, and learned that Don was Eddie's father's doctor. I told him about all of the ways Adriana had made my life hell since seventh grade, including attempting to frame me for the stolen pre-calculus exam.

Then, after we both ordered we somehow we even got on the topic of song writing, and his entire face lit up when I told him that I was a bit of an amateur song writer. I told him that I wrote my first song on our hill and that music was a bit of a life source for me, which he agreed on. "The truth is I've been having a hell of a time writing my next album, but because of the last forty eight hours, I have a feeling that the songs are going to practically be writing themselves."

"I like you glass half full types" I laughed. Eddie gave me a slightly confused look as he took a sip of his lemonade. "My best friend Melissa is like that too, no matter the situation she finds a way to see a silver lining."

Eddie leaned back in his chair "How long have you two been friends?"

I stilled any movement and thought back "I honestly can't remember not being friends. We've just never outgrown each other."

"I don't really have any friends like that" Eddie admitted. "I mean I have buddies, but they're all scattered over the country and I don't see them very often. It makes it hard to keep those kinds of bonds going."

I grabbed my own lemonade and took a small sip before setting the glass down on a napkin "Do any of them know about Chloe yet?"

Eddie shook his head "You're the only person I've told, to be honest." And queue the conga line in my heart. Oddly enough though, I really didn't know what to say to that. "You are strangely easy to talk to Loren Tate."

The fact that I knew I was blushing made me blush even deeper, "So are you."

The waitress came with our quesadillas and fries and placed them on the table before asking if we needed anything else, or rather asking Eddie. I felt as if I had disappeared. Eddie told her that we were fine before turning back to me and allowing the waitress to walk away "Sorry about that" he cringed.

I couldn't help but laugh slightly at the occurrence "Does that happen often?"

"More than I'd like to admit" he stated before beginning to eat.

"So…can I ask you a question?" Eddie met my gaze and his lack of protest told me that I could continue "What was it that attracted you to Chloe in the first place? I mean, she doesn't really seem like your type."

"And what would be my type?" He asked curiously.

"Your mom" I replied in all honesty, "someone, warm and passionate. Someone who understands why you love music so much and shares in that love" I began to stir my lemonade, in attempt to avoid his eyes "I guess I just never saw what you saw in her."

Eddie leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, "I honestly thought Chloe was all of those things. She was a really good actress; unscripted at least."

"At least you found out before you married her, right?"

Eddie cracked a smile "What were you saying about us glass half full types?" I playfully rolled my eyes and dipped a fry in ketchup before popping it into my mouth. "Seriously though, I think I was so desperate to find the perfect love that my parents had that I completely blinded myself to any potential flaws."

I placed the cutlery on my plate "See that was your first mistake" I began, "no love is perfect."

"No?"

"No. How boring would that be? Flaws are what make people unique and set one apart from the other and it's the same with love. If all loves were the same there would be nothing unique or special about it." Our eyes met in an intense stare, both of us wondering what the other was thinking. "Don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess" his fingers drummed lightly against the top of the table, after he had placed his napkin on his plate. I did the same and pushed my plate to the end of the table. "Have you ever been in love?"

I leaned back into my seat, slightly taken back by the question and found my voice softer than I anticipated "No, I haven't but I would like to be, someday."

"I don't recommend it, all it does, is cause you pain." I watched as he ate his fries, nibbling on two at a time.

Hearing him, of all people say that ripped through my heart; "Have you ever broken someone's heart?" That grabbed his attention "Did you break her heart on purpose? Would you want that girl to give up hope just because you weren't right for her?" I leaned forward on the table "When you were happy with Chloe, you didn't feel pain. Love doesn't bring pain Eddie it's the only thing that actually causes happiness."

"What about music, music makes me happy" he replied cheekily.

"Because you love it" I said blatantly before checking my phone for the time. "Damn, it's already four thirty."

"What time does the reception start?"

"Five." I placed my phone back in my clutch and rubbed my hands together nervously "I'd really hate to ask this, but do you think you could give me a ride to the hall? I won't make it in time if I walk."

Eddie waved off my hesitation "I don't mind at all," he said as he reached into his wallet, pulling out his credit card. I reached into my clutch to grab some cash but my actions were instantly halted as Eddie's hand touched my arm "Loren it's my treat."

I shook my head "You don't have to do that, you've practically been my chauffer these past two days, the least I can do is pay for lunch."

Eddie pushed the cash that I had placed on the table back in my direction "I insist."

I could tell that he wasn't going to let up on the situation so I dropped my armor and placed most of the cash back into my clutch. "Thank you, but at least let me give you some gas money" I countered as I pushed a twenty cross the table.

Eddie laughed "You're relentless Tate, you know that?" He pushed the twenty back towards me "Don't worry about lunch, or gas money or anything. You've had to listen to me go on and on for two days now. I owe you."

I sighed at his stubbornness just as the waitress walked up to our table with the bill, which Eddie paid for quickly. The waitress dropped two chocolates on the table for us and then, after a little too long of a stare in Eddie's direction she walked away.

Picking up the chocolate and standing I smiled at Eddie, "I see why you like this place so much now. Complimentary chocolates are a definite bonus."

Eddie chuckled as he shoved his wallet back into his pocket "They're mint chocolates."

"Best of both worlds" I exclaimed giddily.

"Exactly."

We were both smiling as we left the restaurant but then a flashing light blinded me momentarily, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"_Hey Eddie, who's the girl"_ Someone shouted from in front of me.

"_Is it true you and Chloe are over?"_

"_How do you feel about Chloe cheating Eddie?"_

"_What's your name miss?"_

"_Did you two enjoy your date?"_

One by one, questions were shouted and flashes went off. Eddie placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me to the car and opened the door for me. I placed my hand in front of my face, in attempt to block out the flashes that were coming in through the window and heard Eddie honk before he slowly began to drive away.

Once we had put a substantial amount of distance between us and the paparazzi, Eddie's grip on the steering wheel significantly lightened. "Are you okay?" I asked him, my voice sounding far more timid than it was supposed to.

Eddie shook his head, took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for half a second; trying to calm his self "I should be asking you that question. I'm so sorry Loren."

"I'm fine" I promised "but the questions about Chloe…that part of the job can't be easy."

"I can't say that it's my favourite part but you get used to it" he replied, but though his words and voice were strong, I could tell he was still a little shaken.

I lowered my head and wringing my hands together, almost insecurely said "I hope being seen with me didn't cause too much trouble."

I could feel Eddie's eyes land on me for a moment before returning to the road "No, Loren…" He took a deep breath, "They would honestly make a story out of me eating potato chips. The pictures from today might create some buzz but you're not trouble. You're the only friend I have right now and I need that."

I smiled to myself, a little too much excitement passing through my veins "You consider me a friend?"

A confused look spread over his features quickly followed by a smile "Of course I do."

"I do too" and the weird thing is that I meant it.

Eddie returned my smile quickly before shifting his eyes back to the road "So where am I going exactly?"

I mentally slapped myself for failing to give Eddie directions "Oh, right, sorry! It's being held at Wesley Hall; just take a right at the next intersection." Eventually we arrived at the hall, and as soon as Eddie came to a stop I unbuckled my seat belt and took hold of the door handle "Thank you so much for giving me a ride."

"Anytime" he said sweetly as I stepped out of the car but before I could close the door he called out my name "Hey, Loren, hold up." My eyes met his questionably as he handed me his phone "Put your number in."

I pulled my phone out of my clutch and handed it over to him "You too." He smiled as he took my phone from me and began to add his information as I did the same on his. A minute later we exchanged phones once again. I was about to close the door but stopped abruptly "Do you want to come inside?"

Eddie seemed genuinely surprised by the invitation "I'm not exactly dressed for a wedding."

I waved his reservations aside "I think they'll forgive you if you're with the maid of honor."

"Honestly, I appreciate the offer but I think I just need a quiet evening to myself to absorb the craziness of the day." I nodded in understanding. "Thank you though" He added quickly, and I could tell he didn't want me to be upset by his declination.

"I understand," I sighed dramatically, allowing him to be fully aware of my sarcastic comment "I just thought you'd be my knight in shining armor and save me from a very awkward dance with my cousin."

Eddie laughed "Can I make it up to you sometime?"

"The dance?" I asked, slightly surprised to which he simply nodded. "Sure, I'm going to hold you to that though."

Eddie shook his head, clearly amused "I wouldn't expect anything less." I laughed and placed my hand on the door of the car, ready to close it. "Have a good night Loren."

"You too, bye" I gave a small wave before shutting the car door and following the small mass of people making their way into the hall.

Once inside I found Melissa and Adam at a table, already sharing a plate of fruit. I took my seat beside Melissa and stole a strawberry from them. "I'm bored" Melissa said bluntly and I didn't think to anyone in particular.

I covered my mouth, as I was still eating the strawberry "How long have you guys been here?"

"A little over an hour" Adam replied, "this is our third plate of fruit." He said as he took a small vine of grapes.

Melissa wiped her mouth free from pineapple juice before picking up another slice and quickly glancing at me "How your 'Loren time' Lo?"

I couldn't help the grin that tugged on the corners of my lips "It was great."

They both eyed me curiously, obviously catching on to the fact that I was leaving a few things out "And?" Adam edged.

"And nothing" I said quickly, "it was exactly what I needed."

Then Melissa squealed slightly, her eyes went wide and her chewing of the pineapple increased before she swallowed heavily "Did you hear about the Eddie Duran and Chloe Clark break up?" She asked excitedly and when I didn't answer she took my silence as a no. "Word on the street is that Eddie broke the engagement off over something Chloe did. I mean I always knew that the stick figure was a bitch but she and Eddie seemed so happy together. I feel sad for him."

I slumped lower into my chair "Yeah, me too." I hated, for Eddie's sake that the news had spread so quickly. He hadn't even had twenty four hours to get used to the idea himself before everyone was speculating.

"Has he messaged you on twitter at all?" I hadn't checked my twitter since this morning and considering I had been with Eddie for the past couple of hours, I thought 'no' was a pretty believable answer. "Are you going to message him?" I gave Melissa and suggestive look, silently asking her what was with the twenty questions. "Oh come on Lo, you know that this Hollywood drama stuff makes me crazy. I love it!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her absurdity, and as much as I wanted to tell her everything about the past couple of hours I couldn't bring myself to betray Eddie's trust. I couldn't tell Melissa everything I knew, so I kept quiet instead of chiming in to feed her addiction.

A few minutes later, after Melissa had finished filling Adam and I in on the happenings of the Hollywood elite, and Adam had successfully finished the rest of the fruit plate, Don's cousin took the stage. I recognized him from the rehearsal yesterday and recalled that he had offered to take up the role of MC for the evening.

"Alright you crazy kids" he was holding the microphone a little too close to his mouth, and speaking a little too loudly, but I seemed to be the only one really bothered by it. "I just got word that the happy couple is pulling up front right now, so let's get ready to give them a round of applause!"

Everyone stood and turned to look at the entrance. When the doors opened and Mom and Don walked in arm in arm, the hall erupted with applause and cat calls. I followed suit, standing and clapping with a smile etched onto my face. Mom was blushing profusely while Don held his head high and both were beaming.

The evening went on as expected. Speeches were spoken, dinner was served, people danced, a cake was cut and eaten. And towards the end of the night, Mom stood on stage, her back to the crowd as all of the women in the room rushed to the front of the stage behind her. I had no interest in this part but Melissa forcibly grabbed my arm and dragged me up front.

Then Mom threw the bouquet. Women clawed their way past each other, desperately reaching for the bundle of white roses and lilies. I however stayed still, until I realized that the bouquet was flying towards my head and I instinctually reached up onto my toes, effortlessly taking hold of the bundle of stems. I had caught the bouquet.

**How many times have you watched episode 140 of Hollywood Heights? I bet I out do all of you! How amazing was that kiss?! How many of you wanted to bitch slap Chloe? I'm so excited for this week and to see the after math of the kiss! I know that Eddie has dinner at Loren and Nora's house later in the week and Eddie and Loren have a heart to heart on Tuesday (at least according to the spoilers) so I'm super excited! Leave a review or PM me if you feel like fan-girl-ing with me, lol. No one I know watches this show so all of my freaking out has to be done online, lol. **

**One more thing, I've messaged some of you saying that updates will be every Thursday, which is true. However, I was thinking of upping updates to twice a week, Thursday and Sunday. Those days work best for me and updating once a week didn't seem like it would be enough. So today is the first Sunday update! I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm happy to say that I have SO much planned out for this story. Literally written out, so I know where I'm going and won't be hitting writers block which means I can keep to my promised update days! **

**Please review, favourite and follow! It would mean the world to me! **

**-Tia**


	4. Rest of You

"_You caught my eye__a__nd I wondered why__  
__I knew your smile and__I knew your name.__  
__My mind was going crazy and you're all to blame"_

_-Rest of You by Megan and Liz_

After the wedding on Saturday night, Mom and Don spent the night at a hotel leaving Adriana and I alone in the Masters' mansion. I didn't think I'd ever get used to referring to it as home, and I didn't think it would ever feel like home. That's why when Monday morning rolled around, I felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off. All of my clothes were still in boxes and I had yet to set up my bathroom so I spent half an hour tearing through boxes attempting to find something decent to wear and another ten minutes searching for my toothbrush. I borrowed my mom's toothpaste to save time. Afterwards, I found I didn't have time for breakfast which would mean that up until lunch I would be starving and probably a little cranky.

Don had suggested that Adriana drive me to school but I politely declined the offer, at which point I saw Adriana visibly release the tension from her shoulders that had quickly accumulated. I always rode to school with Melissa and I didn't want that to change.

When Melissa honked from outside, I quickly kissed my mom's cheek and swung my bag over my shoulder before running out the house and down the driveway. Adriana still hadn't left the house and I'm pretty sure that while I had literally sprinted out at the sound of Sonny's honk, she had gone back into her room to freshen her lipstick.

I threw my bag in Sonny's back seat before sliding into the passenger seat. I had barely greeted Melissa and I hadn't yet fastened my seat belt when she placed a small brown bag on my lap and handed me a medium sized coffee cup "Blueberry muffin and caramel macchiato" she explained.

For the first time all morning I took a deep breath, and relaxed "Bless you." I quickly fastened my seatbelt and leaned back into the seat as I took a sip of my coffee.

Melissa pulled away from the house smoothly before quickly glancing in my direction "So is there anything you forgot to mention on Saturday?" I gave her a confused look and took another sip "You didn't ditch Adam and me for lunch to go on a pre-planned date with a gorgeous and totally famous rock star for instance?"

I could tell by her tone and the mischievous smile on her face that she wasn't upset, she simply wanted details. "I wanted to tell you."

"So why didn't you?!" She squealed. "I totally would have come with!"

I smiled at her excitement "It wasn't planned. We just ran into each other again and he offered to take me to lunch." I was about to bite into the muffin but then wondered "How did you know about that?"

Melissa pulled out her cell phone and I looked at the screen to see a picture of Eddie and me leaving the restaurant on Perez Hilton's website. "There's also an article on Oceanup, Hollywood Life, a bunch of other blogs and it was trending on twitter."

"What was?"

"Eddie's mystery girl" Melissa smirked.

I sank into the seat, my head swimming with questions and concerns "That's not good." I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and quickly found Eddie's number.

I was surprised when he picked up after the first few rings; actually I was surprised that he picked up at all. "Hey, have you seen it?" His voice was dripping with concern, and I was suddenly glad that we were talking on the phone, and I didn't have to see the concern in his eyes.

"Yeah…I have. I'm so sorry Eddie, I hope I didn't get you into trouble" I said slowly, bracing myself while the feeling of Melissa's eyes tore through the side of my face as she hung onto every word that was being spoken.

I was surprised when Eddie laughed, but his light heartedness eased my tension "You're worried about me? Loren, it's fine, I was out to lunch with a friend, if the media wants to make something else of it that's their problem. I just hope it doesn't make you too uncomfortable."

I shifted my body so that I couldn't see Melissa's constant gaze, and instead focused my attention out the window. "It's a little weird to be known as _Eddie's mystery girl_but I think I can handle it."

"I'm glad but hey, listen" his voice grew a little apprehensive "I have an interview today, something the label set up because I'm filming a music video that's coming out next week. Anyway, I can almost guarantee that Saturday's going to be brought up, so I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm not going to give them your name or anything and I'll try to deflect the questions as much as I can but there's only so much I can do."

"That's okay, you better make me sound awesome though" I laughed quietly and got Eddie to laugh a little too.

"What other adjectives do you pre-approve of? Fantastic, is that okay, or what about Spectacular?"

"Hmm, you forgot brilliant" I added, trying to keep my voice serious while I had a giant grin on my face.

I heard a door close on Eddie's side of the line, followed by the rustling of keys "Right, I'll try to remember that."

I went silent for a minute, before switching to a more serious side of conversation "Are you sure an interview is a good idea? So soon after Chloe I mean?"

Eddie was silent for a few beats but then I heard him let out an exasperated sigh "I don't know, I need to keep moving, keep working."

"So write a song, head into the studio" I suggested "don't do anything you're not ready for." I saw Melissa was pulling into a parking lot at school and slowly unbuckled my seatbelt.

"Yeah, but it's probably better that I get to the cameras before Chloe" he replied.

I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me "She'll try and spin it in a positive direction for herself."

"Exactly, and I don't want to give her the chance."

"What time is your interview?" I asked climbing out of the car, holding my cell to my ear with my shoulder as I placed my coffee on the roof and I put the bagged muffin in my backpack. I swung the bag over my shoulder and grabbed my coffee before taking my phone by the hand once again.

"Three-thirty" he said, the faint dinging of a bell in the background allowing me to assume he was in an elevator. "Hey, what time do you get off school?"

"Two-thirty, why do you ask?" Melissa held the front door open for me, to which I mouthed a thank you and she nodded in reply, still hanging onto my every word.

"Well…why don't you come down to the video shoot after school?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, catching Melissa off guard who came to a sudden stop as well "Are you serious?"

Eddie laughed at my obvious fan-girl moment "Yeah, I'd be nice to have a friend there."

Melissa nudged me, quietly asking me what was going on "I would love to but I don't have a car with me, my friend Melissa drove me to school."

"Bring her along" he replied nonchalantly.

I held up a finger to Melissa, telling her that I'd fill her in, in a minute "Are you sure it's a good idea? Should I be there while the media's there? Those pictures are everywhere right now."

"Actually, you being on set would probably be the best thing. If you're there, they'll know I'm not trying to hide you or play the rumors down. They'll see that you're really just a friend and that Saturday was completely harmless."

I bit my lip, attempting to hold back a squeal "Okay."

"You'll come?"

"Yeah, I'll come."

"Okay great! Listen I've got to get going, I have a meeting with my manager this morning but I'll see you later okay? The video shoot is at my dad's new club MK on Sunset. I'll put yours and Melissa's names on the list of approved people." I grabbed Melissa's hand and squeezed it tightly, which only got her more anxious to know what was going on. "Bye Loren."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and let go of Melissa's hand as I quickly walked to my locker, failing to suppress a giant smile that was invading my face.

Melissa followed quickly behind me, and her glare set on the back of my head was almost tangible "Don't you walk away from me Loren Tate!"

I opened my locker on the first try, which rarely happened and then turned to face my best friend "Slight change of plans after school. Instead of a homework session at my house, we are now going to hang out on Eddie's music video set, okay?"

Melissa's eyes grew into saucers, and she started to fan herself, excitedly "We?"

I nodded, my smile growing "Yeah, he invited you. So unless you'd rather do your homework-"

"Shut up" she interrupted, obviously insulted that such a phrase escaped my lips, even if it was in a sarcastic fashion. "We're going to meet Eddie Duran on set of his music video?" I nodded. Then she grabbed me and brought me into a bone crushing hug "I love you!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm "Hey, you brought me coffee. I think we're even." We pulled away from the hug and I grabbed my Chemistry book from my locker before losing it. I noticed that people were staring in my direction, whispering and some even 'discretely' pointing. I hugged the text book closer to my chest, a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention and began to follow Melissa to class.

When the last bell rang, I jumped to my feet and grabbed my English books and didn't bother to take the time to put them in my bag. Instead, I quickly made my way to my locker, grabbing the books I would need for homework and then hastily shut it. I was about to turn to make my way down the hall to Melissa's locker when I hear my name being called from behind.

Running in my direction was Cameron, a cute all-American boy, practically straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't caught myself staring at him from time to time in Middle School, but that crush since wavered. "Hi Cameron" I gave a short wave with my free hand.

Cameron grabbed the strap of his backpack that was slung over his shoulder, in an almost nervous fashion. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Fine" I replied, dragging the word out a little. I couldn't help but be confused by this sudden, unmediated conversation. "Yourself?"

"I'm good, I was actually wondering what you were up to tonight? I thought we could study for that Physics exam together?" To say I taken back by his proposal would be an understatement.

My eye caught Melissa who was standing on the other side of the hall tapping her wrist, telling me that we should get going. I looked back at Cameron who seemed slightly nervous with anticipation "Actually, my friend and I" I began, pointing to Melissa, "have somewhere we need to be. I'm really sorry."

Cameron shrugged it off "That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Definitely" I replied before walking to Melissa, who grabbed my hand and began dragging me down the hallway.

"I thought he was never going to shut up!" Melissa exclaimed impatiently.

"We barely talked Mel" I couldn't help but find her eagerness amusing.

Melissa stopped walked around to the driver's side of Sonny "It was long enough" she assured me.

The typical L.A. traffic and mass of girls surrounding the MK club forced Melissa and I to park a few blocks away. Once we reached the club doors, we saw security holding girls back and girls with tears streaming down their faces at the thought of meeting Eddie. Slowly, we pushed our way through the crowd, resulting in a few cruel words girls who had been camped out all night.

Finally, we were able to maneuver ourselves through and reached the front doors where the security guards looked down on us, through their sunglasses. "This is a closed set ladies please head back through the crowd."

To say I was intimidated was putting it lightly, had it not been for Melissa I very well may have turned around and walked away. He wasn't the type of guy I wanted to irk. "We're on the list" Melissa said proudly, shooting a slightly arrogant smirk at a girl who had called her a bitch when we had pushes our way to the front of the crowd; "Loren Tate and Melissa Sanders."

The security guard held a clipboard to his eye line and then lowered it, "You girls got ID?"

Melissa and I both handed him our Drivers Licenses and after checking them he handed them back, nodding to the guard who was standing directly in front of the door "They're good." He turned back to us "Go on in girls, thank you for your patience. It's standard procedure."

"It's okay, thank you" I replied before we made our way inside the club, hearing the annoyed protests of the girls left outside.

MK was by no means a large rave club. It was quaint. A piano was tucked into the corner of the stage and large bar was set up on the left wall. Couches were set up, to give it a comfortable and resting vibe and music played at a perfect volume, not too quiet so that when you spoke you blocked it out but not too loud to where you couldn't even hear yourself think.

Looking around I could tell that the video shoot was on a break. Dancers were in front of the stage stretching and talking and the man I presumed was the director was talking with a man behind a video camera. The only person I couldn't see was Eddie and Melissa seemed to pick up on that fact rather quickly as well.

"Where is he?" She asked rhetorically as she scanned the room.

"Hey!" I jumped slightly and turned around to see the man I recognized as Eddie's manager Jake Madsen standing in front of me. "Who let you in here? They're supposed to be guarding the doors." He didn't give me time to respond when he started to call for security.

Then a familiar voice spoke up on my right and I turned my head to see Eddie making his way towards me "They're cool Jake. They're friends of mine." Jake eyed Mel and me curiously before nodding and walking away towards the director.

Eddie's eyes then became fixated on me "You made it!"

I blushed at his obvious enthusiasm "I told you I would." Then I gestured to Melissa "Eddie this is my best friend Melissa," and then I gestured back to Eddie "Mel this is Eddie."

Eddie extended a hand out to her "Nice to finally meet you Mel, Loren talks about you all of the time."

Melissa shook his hand and jokingly flipped her hair over her shoulder "And she says fabulous things only I presume?"

Eddie laughed "Absolutely. Did you guys have any trouble getting though security?" We both shook our heads. "Good. Do you girls want anything to drink? I have to get back to rehearsal but my dad is behind the bar. He's got sodas, water and juice, so just ask." I looked towards the bar, to see Max Duran drying a glass.

"Is it okay if we just stand around and watch you film?" Melissa asked causing me turn my head back around.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine" Eddie assured Melissa. "Just stay behind the cameras and you'll be good. I'll check in with you girls in a little bit okay? It was really nice meeting you Melissa!" Eddie ran towards the director and Jake and started what looked like a serious conversation.

"I like him" Melissa stated dreamily "you should totally go for him!"

"Not funny Mel" I began to walk towards the bar, Mel in tow.

We both sat down on the stools at the bar and watched as Eddie and the director seemed to be running through a scene for the video. "If you ask me, they should just get on with filming it already. It's been rehearsed to death." I shifted my gaze to see Max Duran standing behind the bar in front of both Melissa and I. I couldn't believe how much Eddie looked his father and in person it was even more defined. Max's unshaven and rugged exterior gave him the bad boy look but the sincerity that ran through his eyes and his beautiful smile gave away the fact that he was a genuine and kind person. "I'm Max, and I take it your both friends of Eddie's?"

Melissa extended her hand "Melissa, fashion savvy best friend of Loren here who knows your son. I tagged along for the free food and look on all of the girls faces as walked through the doors."

Max grinned at Melissa's over the top introduction and then glanced over to me "So, your Loren then?"

I nodded slowly, a little star struck by the man my mother had idolized since she was my age. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Duran."

Max waved me off "Call me Max, please. And it's nice to finally meet you Loren. Eddie's told me quite a bit about you."

**This show just keeps getting better and better! The amount of Leddie in the last two episodes has my fangirl heart swooning! And did I mention how much I'm beginning to hate weekends? Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And thank you to everyone who PMed me to fangirl with me! That was fun;) **

**I hope you all enjoyed! Right now I'm trying to set up the foundation of the story but I promise there's tons of drama to come in future chapters! So stick with me! And is anyone dying to see how Nora reacts to walking up to Leddie's kiss in the doorway? I can't wait for the show tonight!**

**Until Sunday,**

**Tia.**


	5. Brightest Reds to Grey

"_I'm throwing away pictures that_

_I never should have taken in the first place  
And it's cold in my apartment  
As I'm changing all the colors  
From the brightest reds to grays"_

_-If You Wanted a Song Written About You by Mayday Parade_

In the time it took me to drink a glass of cranberry juice, Melissa had downed a glass of pomegranate juice, wormed her way into the exclusive circle of the video director, the camera man and Jake Madsen. Whom, she had managed to make laugh. And still, she had had time to refresh her lipstick.

So as Max re-filled my glass and placed a bowl of peanuts on the counter, I felt a little unproductive. "I hope you're not allergic" Max said cautiously as he pointed to the bowl.

I smiled graciously and shook my head "No, thank you" and I took a small hand full.

Max followed my gaze to where Melissa was standing and talking seriously with the video director. "Your friend seems to be in her element" Max commented.

Turning back to look at him I laughed "Melissa's always in her element. She's a people person, everyone loves her."

"And what about you" He asked, flinging a white towel over his shoulder. "What kind of person are you?"

I shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer that "What exactly did Eddie tell you?"

Max leaned his elbows on the counter, engaging himself in the conversation "He said you're a friend from The Valley, you're incredibly loyal and sweet." Max smiled as an obvious blush crept onto my cheeks "And your mother just got married?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the cranberry juice "Yeah, just last Saturday."

"Well, my best wishes to your new family. That's wonderful." Max was incredibly kind. He had a sensitivity in him that I admired; it was something you didn't see in many people.

"Thanks" Then Max went back to his organizing wine bottles on the rack that spanned the majority of the wall behind the bar.

I focused my eyes back on the rehearsal, Eddie was on the stage going over a few dance steps and it looked seamless. Melissa was grinning from ear to ear as she watched Eddie dance around the girls on stage and soon the director was calling on the attention of the entire crew, announcing that they were ready to shoot this scene and then they would pick up tomorrow.

Mel raced back over to me as the cameras were being set up and everyone took their position. "Oh my god that was amazing! I just had a big shot director shoot down every idea I had!"

Confusion instantly overtook me "Awe, I'm sorry Mel."

Melissa grinned brightly shaking her head "I'm not! He listened to my ideas Lo, he listened to them and hated them and turned me away. It was fantastic; my first Hollywood rejection." She began staring into space, losing herself in a fantasy world that I couldn't bring myself to shake her out of. Mel's reasoning made sense to her and that was all that mattered.

The director began to count down to the start of the music, "Five, six, seven, eight!"

But just before he could call action, a higher, more demanding voice overtook him "Wait!"

I whipped my head around to see none other than Chloe Carter standing in the doorway of the club. Max instantly walked out from behind the counter and took a stance in front of Chloe telling her that she needed to leave but I don't think she was hearing a word he said. Instead her eyes focused directly on Eddie, silently pleading with him to talk to her.

Without missing a beat, Eddie hopped off the stage and made this way to the dressing rooms, resulting in a cry from Chloe. I turned to see Melissa beaming; she was clearly enjoying the drama and finding joy in what appeared to be a monumental melt down by Chloe Carter.

With concern flooding through me, I jumped off the bar stool I had been sitting on and began to make my way in the direction Eddie had disappeared in. I opened the door of the only closed dressing room and sitting on a black leather couch with his head buried deep into his hands was Eddie, clearly distraught over seeing Chloe.

At the sound of my footsteps his eyes shot up to see my identity "Having fun?" He asked. It was the first time I had heard him use bone dry sarcasm.

I took a seat beside him, my eyes never leaving his face. "You look like you could use a drink."

Eddie laughed lightly at my attempt of a joke "Yeah, because that'll make all of my problems disappear."

Instantly catching on to the distress in Eddie's voice, and the obvious tension in his firmly clasped hands, I placed my hand on his knee. The action seemed to catch him off guard but took his mind away from Chloe for a moment. I pulled my hand away as quickly as I had placed it and awkwardly tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

I turned my body more, in order to talk to Eddie "Do you want to talk to her?" My voice was soft, almost caressing. "Maybe hearing an explanation will help?" I offered.

Eddie simply shook his head "She lied, she cheated, she manipulated. I don't need any further explanation."

Silence fell upon us for a few minutes before I realized that my presence may be unwanted "Do you want me to go? I understand if you want to be by yourself for a little while."

Eddie met my gaze for the first time since I had entered the room, his tone softening a little "No, I want you to stay." He rubbed his face in his hands before reaching a hand to the back of his neck, scratching it lightly "I miss her. You know? As crazy as it sounds, and despite all of the crap she's put me through, I actually miss her." He looked at me again "How messed up is that?"

I felt all anxiety rush out of my body with one deep sigh as I saw the vulnerability in his eyes and the heard the heartbreak in his voice "I don't think it's messed up Eddie. I think you loved her with everything in you and now she's gone. I think you miss the love that you felt for her, and the safety and security you felt with her. You don't miss the bad stuff, you miss the good and that's worth missing."

A knock on the door caught both of our attention and when it opened, I saw the Jake was standing in the doorway and while he looked happy to have tracked Eddie down, he didn't look too happy to see me. "You okay Eddie?"

Eddie gave a short, curt nod as he casted his eyes downward, I could tell this wasn't something he wanted to discuss with Jake "I'm fine. Is she gone?"

Jake looked a little taken back at Eddie's bluntness "Yeah, I had security remove her from the premise. She apparently paid off a security guard at the back door." Jake closed the door and moved further into the room before locking eyes with me "Do you mind giving Eddie and me a minute alone?"

"Oh, sure" I stood and only took one step before hearing Eddie's voice from behind me.

"No, Loren you're fine" I turned around and saw Eddie looking at Jake "she's cool Jake." Then Eddie patted the spot on the couch next to him that I had just been sitting on and I took the seat once again.

Jake eyed me curiously and then looked at his Blackberry "Alright then, we're postponing the whole video shoot until tomorrow and I cancelled your interview with Lily Park. I figured that last thing you'd want to deal with now was Lily digging her nose into your personal life. So just give me a date sometime this week that I can reschedule for."

Eddie sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees "Let's do it Wednesday, I have the Spin interview that day anyway so I can kill two birds with one stone."

Jake nodded and quickly typed something into his phone "And don't forget you still have that rescheduled show at the Avalon Wednesday night. Are you still up for that? It's completely sold out man so if there's going to be an issue I need to know now."

"No, it'll be fine Jake" Eddie snapped. Then he took a deep breath and began to rub his forehead "I'm sorry." He took another breath, calming himself down "I know you're just trying to take my mind off of Chloe but…"

Jake placed a firm hand on Eddie's shoulder "Don't worry about it man, I get it. What can I do to help? What do you need? I am at your beckon call."

Eddie shook his head "I just need to chill. I'll probably stay back and work on the dance moves. Try and clear my head."

"Alright" Jake began to walk to the door, "I'll tell everyone to clear the club, and give you some space. You sure you're okay?"

I have to admit, that while Jake did seem business oriented and hard headed, he seemed genuinely concerned with Eddie's well being. With his tough exterior down and the gentle worry washing over his features he almost looked more like Eddie's concerned older brother, rather than his manager.

Eddie assured Jake that he was fine and waved as Jake left the room to clear the set. I took that as my queue to leave as well and stood up once more "Well at least no one can ever say your life is dull."

Eddie stood with me, a light chuckle escaping his lips "True, but I wouldn't mind some dull sometimes."

I shrugged as I crossed my arms over my chest "It's not all it's cracked up to be" I assured him.

"No?"

I shook my head "I'd kill for some excitement in my life" I confessed.

Eddie took a step closer to me "What? A new family isn't exciting enough for you?"

I couldn't help the glare that I sent his way "Not funny." Eddie laughed at my serious state making me instantly relax and smile "That's not what I meant. I mean, you have this great exciting life! You're planning interviews and concerts and running away from hysterical ex-girlfriends in a day, whereas I went to Chemistry this morning."

Eddie scrunched his face like he had just tasted something sour "I hated Chem."

"Tell me about it." I pushed my hair back and started to make my way closer to the door "Well, I should check on Melissa, hopefully Jake hasn't chased my ride out of the building yet." I opened the door before turning back to Eddie "Thank you for everything by the way, today was pretty incredible."

"Not too dull for you?" He inquired.

I shook my head "Not at all." And then I stepped out of the room, making my way down the hall before quickly turning back around, to catch Eddie's eye "Thank your dad for me by the way, he was nice enough to keep me company while Mel was off working the floor."

Eddie smiled sweetly "Sure, I'll see you later Loren Tate."

I waved and walked back to the bar where Mel was typing frivolously on her phone "Oh thank god!" She exclaimed when she saw me. "My mom is freaking out! She came by your house to check on me and I wasn't there and now she wants to know where I was and I could tell her that I was at a video shoot with a famous rock star but if I do that then I'm going to get the putting off homework lecture, quickly followed by the untrustworthy lecture and-"

"Wow, Mel, breathe!" I lightly grabbed her forearms and let out a small laugh "In other words you need to head home."

Melissa nodded "I told my Mom I left ten minutes ago and I've been trying to text you to see where you went but you weren't picking up."

"I turned my phone off when we got on set. You get going though I can call my mom to pick me up after work."

Mel looked a little skeptical "Are you sure? I'm already in trouble I might as well milk it."

I shook my head "No, its fine. I'm afraid Lisa will have a stroke if you're not home with the next twenty minutes."

Melissa scuffed "Yeah, she's a little crazy." Mel eyed me for a minute "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine" I assured her. "Go." She gave me quick, tight hug before dashing for the door and yelling out her goodbye.

I looked around the club and marveled at how empty it was, just minutes before dozens of people were running around, yelling at each other, and music was playing to set the mood and atmosphere for the shoot and now, silence. Complete stillness.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and sent my mom a quick text asking if she could pick me and promising to explain later. She replied quickly, letting me know she'd be here around five thirty and then I tossed my phone back in my bag and began to make my way out of the club when a familiar voice called from behind me.

"You're still here? Where's Melissa?" I turned to face Eddie, who seemed a little more relaxed.

"She had to head home, her mom is a little over protective so I'm waiting for my Mom to get off of work and come and get me." I explained before continuing to the exit.

"What time is your mom off at?"

I turned back around "Five, she said she'll get here around five thirty."

Eddie checked his phone and rose his eyebrows "That's two hours from now. We're you just going to stand outside the club on the sidewalk until then?"

I adjusted the bag over my shoulder and held my phone up "Believe me I can kill two hours with Angry Birds. It's a sad addiction."

Eddie held his hand up in front of his chest "I don't doubt you, I just a little hurt." He placed a hand over his chest "You'd rather play Angry Birds then hang out with me? That hurts me Loren."

I laughed at the lightheartedness that he was showing, "I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have."

Eddie dropped his hand to his side and moved closer to me "What?"

Letting out a small sigh I continued "You've been so nice to me, inviting me here, taking me for lunch, sharing the hill, I just don't want to push my luck."

Eddie shook his head, an amused smile on his face "Okay, give that" he said as he took my bag from my shoulder. He placed my bag on the bar's counter and then locked eyes with me "I_ like_ spending time with you Loren, okay? Like I told you I don't have a lot of friends nowadays and I've missed it. It's a good feeling."

I smiled shyly at his insinuation of our friendship "Okay."

"Okay, now I believe I owe you a dance" he said as he ran over to the stereo and pressed play before his song Something In The Air began to play. I looked at him curiously, pulling my eyebrows together. He walked back over to me and held his hands out for mine.

I obliged, resting my palms in his "What do you mean you owe me?"

Eddie pulled me up onto the stage and twirled me in a circle, "From the wedding. Did you really have to dance with your cousin?"

The fact that he remembered that touched me but I couldn't help but scowl at the memory "Yes, my cousin Andrew. He's two years younger than me and I swear he kept trying to grab my ass." Eddie let out a loud laugh and started turning me around on the stage.

I wasn't a dancer; I had two left feet and no rhythm but while dancing with Eddie, I didn't feel any pressure. Dancing with Eddie was simply fun. He twirled me a few times and never once let go of my right hand. We both laughed as we tried to move our bodies to the beat of the music and purposefully made ourselves look ridiculous.

In that moment, I knew that what I was doing was dangerous, like treading on thin ice. Every time I looked in his eyes, I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my lips and every time we touched, whether it was a simple brush of a hand or a bump of the knee, my stomach did somersaults. I had a crush. A turn the world on its axis, don't look now, one last breath, soul wrenching, mind blowing, heart breaking crush. And it killed me to know that he didn't feel the same.

So as Eddie spun me back to his side, his eyes locking with mine and his breath tangible on my lips, I pulled my head back slightly. And as the song reached the last few notes and Eddie was singing along, I tried desperately to tone back the width of my smile. And when the song came to a close and Eddie wrapped his arm around my lower back and I fell into a dip, I told myself that no matter how hard it would be, I could not allow myself to fall for him.

**Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you day is going well! It's only about 12:30PM here and my day has been crazy busy! I've been on the go since 5:30AM so I'm so glad to have some down time now to update!**

**I have to say that while there were no Leddie kisses in episode 44 (Thursday's episode) I think it has become one of favourite episodes. I loved seeing Eddie take an interest in Loren's life and past and I LOVED the conversation between Eddie and Nora! Which brings me to the question: What is your favourite Hollywood Heights episode so far? I'm genuinely curious! And did anyone else think "karma's a bitch" when Adriana revealed that she was pregnant? **

**Well, until Thursday! Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	6. What Are You Waiting For?

"_Building this up in my mind for so long__, __now our times running out__  
__So you've got to be strong__, __If you want to make this right__  
__Break the ice__, __Don't think twice,__Take me away__  
__What are you waiting for?"_

_What Are You Waiting For By Miranda Cosgrove_

When you live in southern California, you tend to take its sun filled days for granted. It's just always there, lightly tapping at your window in the morning and doesn't wait for permission to enter. It simply barges in. And today was no exception. It was one of those Saturday's that you cognitively decide to put off your homework until Sunday, to allow yourself to enjoy the day and bask in the warm bath that the sun provided in the valley.

It was a little after one in the afternoon and Mom was on the deck, sipping a smoothie and re-reading Sense and Sensibility while Don hid away in his office, going over some paperwork. Adriana however, had not yet woken up when I made my way out to the pool. I grabbed the inflatable mattress from the cabana before tying my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. I removed my white sundress, hanging it on the back of a lawn chair, leaving me in a yellow bikini.

I placed the mattress into the water, right at the edge and somewhat gracefully maneuvered my way onto it, before allowing myself to float away. The sun danced across my skin, allowing me to relax completely as the sound of birds chirping in the distance sounded off a melody in my head.

I don't how long I had been lying when I heard Don open the screen door and greet my mother. Maybe ten minutes, maybe half an hour. My clear mind and clamed nerves made me lose the ability to determine time.

"There's a conference in Las Vegas this weekend" I heard Don say, some of the conversation was audible to me, some of it wasn't. "…Stewart had to pull out at the last minute due to personal reasons. They asked me to take over the seminar…come with me."

I listened intently waiting for my mom's reply but after a few beat it didn't come and I knew she was thinking it over. Weighing the reasons to stay and go. "What about the girls? Do we really want to leave them alone all weekend?" God, please no. Adriana and I would be lucky to both survive the weekend. I could picture the Mr. and Mrs. Smith showdown that would commence between the two of us.

"…responsible and can handle things. You trust her don't you?" Don asked, urgency weighing on his words.

"I trust both of our girls" _our_girls? "…to put them in that position...not so soon after the wedding."

"Maybe it would be good for them? Give them a chance to get to know each other" So the plan was to leave Adriana and I alone for the weekend? And they were seriously considering this?

"Morning Dad, morning Nora" Adriana's squealing voice rattled my eardrums, making me shiver in dread. "What are you two talking about?" She was easily heard. I don't think anyone ever taught her the difference between inside and outside voices. Okay so maybe we were outside, but still. She had no concept of soft tone.

"There's something your dad and I would like to discuss with you Aid, you and Loren." I heard mom say before my name was being shouted "Hey, Lo? Can you come here please?"

I let out a frustrated groan as my time relaxation time came to a close and I flipped onto my stomach and paddled my way back to the edge of the pool. I climbed out and wrapped my small frame in the towel I had left nearby and them made my way towards my mom, Don and Adriana.

"I have to head out of town for the weekend girls and I would like it if Nora would join me. Will you two be okay on your own?" Wow, Don got right down to the point.

"Sure" Adrianna replied, a small smirk tugging gently on the corners of her lips.

"Lo?" I could tell my mom wanted to go. If she didn't she would have already insisted she stay behind with Adriana and I.

So I faked a smile, pushed my shoulders back and nodded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically "Sure, could I invite Mel over for the night though?" I knew I was going to need a safety net if Adriana and I were to survive this weekend together.

"Can I invite a few friends too?" Adriana asked quickly.

Mom and Don exchanged an uncertain gaze but then nodded in sequence "I suppose that would be okay" Don replied, earning a bright smile from Adriana, something that really unnerved me.

An hour later, Mom and Don were finished packing their suitcases and Adriana's friend Kim was already in the house, the two gossiping and giggling as I sat the kitchen counter with my Chemistry homework sprawled out in front of me. I had decided to get a head start on it after all, as I waited for Mel to reply to my text inviting her over for the night.

When the taxi pulled up in front of the house to take Mom and Don to the airport, Don walked out to help the driver load the two suitcases into the car and Mom made her way into the kitchen to find me. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

I looked up, tearing my eyes away from the periodic table "Of course, enjoy the weekend."

Mom of course knew me too well, and walked further into the room, placing her purse on the counter and taking a seat beside me "For the record I'll be attending the seminar so I'll be bored out of my mind."

A small smile crept onto my lips "That makes me feel a little better."

Mom let out a hearty laugh and then pulled me into a hug "I know that you and Adriana don't get along and I know that this last week has been packed full of changes but I want you to remember that you are my first priority, always."

I hugged her a little tighter "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

Mom laughed once again as she pulled out of the hug "You mean about you keeping the fact that you're friends with Eddie Duran from me?" I smiled shyly remembering the look on her face she picked me up from the club on Monday and the conversation that took place in the car on the ride back to Masters' mansion. "No, but no more secret rock star friends, okay?"

"Promise" I pulled her into another hug. "Have a safe flight."

"I will, don't burn the house down."

"No promises."

It wasn't until three that I got a reply from Melissa informing me that she couldn't come over, due to her mother's impending grounding sentence. I really disliked Melissa's mom Lisa sometimes. She ruled with an iron fist when it came to her daughter but the double standard kicked in with Mel's brother Phil and the amount of crap that he was able to get away with. Lisa didn't see the amazing, confident and self-assured daughter she had raised; she only saw the flaws, flaws that truthfully had no relevance to Melissa's character.

Fifteen Chemistry questions, two Fifth Business chapter recaps, and a Pre-Calculus practice quiz later I was completely finished with my homework for the weekend. Adriana, Kim, Brooke and Natalie were crowded around the living room talking closely together, making it blatantly obviously that I was unwelcome to join in the conversation.

However, their blatant disregard for my inclusiveness seemed to waver long enough for an overdue insult from my dear step-sister "I take it your friend isn't coming? Too bad. Did she finally realize your equivalent to the gum she picks off of her shoe?" I ignored her comment and made my way to my room, took out my guitar and began to strum absentmindedly for what turned into hours.

It wasn't until music started blaring and people started screaming that I put my guitar and notebook away and stepped out of my room. I should have known that our parents going out of town would have meant party time to Adriana.

People continued to come through the front door every minute or so in hoards, most carrying some sort of alcoholic beverage. The couches in the living room had been pushed up against the far walls for a makeshift dance floor and the kitchen counter was covered with bowls of chips and other snacks. I scanned the house through the ever growing crowd and soon spotted Adriana on the dance floor with Phil, grinding into him. I made my way towards her, trying hard to ignore that fact that someone had reached out and caressed my butt as I did so.

"Adriana! What the hell is this?" To say I was angry would be an understatement. Mom and Don had trusted us to be responsible and respectful. A house party without their consent was not the way to keep that trust.

Adriana simply rolled her eyes at my outburst and stopped dancing as she took a step towards me "Lighten up, our parents will never know." With that she pushed past me, dragging Phil behind her.

I scanned the room and let out a sigh of relief when I laid eyes on Adam and his friends Ben and Den, I quickly made my way over to them. "Nice party Loren!" Ben commented as he took swig from a red cup.

"It's Adriana's party" I corrected him as I heard something crash in another room and fought the urge to run over to see what had been broken. "I can't believe she did this" I shook my head and ran my hands over the sore muscles in my tense shoulders.

Adam draped an arm over my shoulders "Relax. It wouldn't kill you to have some fun. You've been through a lot in the last week."

I smiled appreciatively at Adam "Thanks but an unpermitted house party isn't exactly my idea of fun Adam."

"Hey Loren" I turned around at the sound of my name and saw Cali and Carissa both holding onto red party cups. I had a few classes with each of them. They were sweet girls and I considered them friends but we rarely hung out outside of school.

"Great party" Cali commented, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. "You didn't invite Eddie Duran did you?"

I noticed a few people surrounding us stall their conversations and turn their attention to me at the sound of Eddie's name. "Why would you ask that?"

Carissa let out a small giggle "We know you're friends with him silly, the pictures of the two of you are everywhere!" Then her face turned serious "You're not dating him are you?"

I wanted to laugh at the sheer thought of that "No, I'm not and no I didn't invite him. I didn't even know about this party until the music started playing."

"That's too bad" Ben said "Den and I wanted to give him a CD of our music."

"Hey Loren" I turned again, this time coming face to face with Cameron.

"Hey" It was a little weird to have him conversing with me once again. Until this week I didn't know he knew who I was. "How's it going?"

"Good, I was surprised to hear about your party" his arms were crossed and legs shoulder width apart, a confident stance I realized.

"Adriana planned it" I explained. "How did your Pre-Calc test go?"

Cam shrugged "I'll be lucky to get a passing grade" he confessed.

I suddenly felt guilty for blowing him off to study earlier in the week. He seemed like a nice enough guy "Well maybe we can get together for the next exam? Coffee can be on me?"

Cam's eye brows shot up in surprise by my offer but a genuine smile soon crept onto his lips as well "That would be great."

"Okay, cool."

Cali's voice then interrupted the conversation "So Loren, do you like, actually have Eddie's number?"

"You should call him!" Carissa added.

I noticed Cam's confident stance waver at the sound of Eddie's name which confused me a little "I don't think this is really his scene" I tried to reason.

Cali then beamed "So you do have his number?"

I don't know why the pestering questions about Eddie were getting on my nerves so much but they were. "I-" Before I get an answer out my phone started to ring and I grabbed it out of the pocket of my dress to see Eddie's name flashing on the screen. "Hello?" I yelled, hoping he could hear me as I plugged ear that the phone wasn't held up to hoping I could hear him.

"Bad time?" Eddie's voice was soft, caressing even with a dash of laughter. "It sounds like you're at a rave or something."

"Hold on Eddie." Noticing the questioning eyes on me I mouthed a sorry and made my way outside into the backyard where silence thankfully found me. The music only muffled through the outdoor walls. "Hello?"

"Hey, is everything okay?"

I took a seat on the side of the pool, dangling my feet into the water "Everything's fine. Adriana just decided to throw a party while our parents are out of town."

Eddie laughed at the bitterness in my voice "You don't sound too thrilled about that."

I sighed and laid back, my head resting gently on the inflatable mattress that I had forgotten to put away earlier. "I'm not one for breaking the rules and throwing an unpermitted party where alcohol is being supplied to minors is not only breaking the rules its technically breaking the law."

"Well aren't you a good girl" he teased.

"Oh, the best" I countered cheekily.

Eddie laughed "Seriously though, you must be having a little bit of fun."

I took a deep breath, allowing my gaze to fall up onto the stars "Not really, if Mel were here it might be easier but she's grounded so I'm all by myself."

Eddie stayed silent for a moment "Well…" and then trailed of slightly "maybe I could help?"

"Oh really? What? Are you going to Mission Impossible your way into Mel's house and break her out to keep me company?" I joked.

Eddie chuckled at my reference "I guess that's one way to go about it but I was thinking of something a little less dangerous."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Why don't I come over?" And just like that I was rendered speechless. "Loren?"

"Hi, yeah, sorry, umm…are you serious? You want to come hang out a high school party in The Valley?" I heard the screen door open to the back yard and sat up, turning my head to see Cam making his way towards me.

"I'd like to see you again" Eddie replied.

I smiled as Cam sat down beside me and tried to withhold the blush that I'm sure had crept its way onto my cheeks thanks to Eddie's words. "Same here" I replied honestly.

"Okay then, do you want to text me the address?"

"Sure."

"Okay I'll see you soon Loren. Bye."

"Bye" I replied shyly before hanging up turning to Cameron "Are you having fun?"

Cameron smiled brightly and for the first time I noticed how nice his teeth were "Yeah definitely, what about you?"

I shrugged "I'm not much of a party girl" I replied honestly before quickly texting Eddie the address to the Masters' mansion and then placing my phone back into my pocket. "I would have been happy locked up in my room for the night, with peace and quiet."

Cameron looked a little taken back and his smiled faltered "Oh, well I'm sorry."

I softened the intensity and annoyance in my eyes "Don't apologize, you didn't do anything. I'm glad you're here."

"You are?" He looked genuinely relieved to hear me that.

I looked down at the water "Yeah, you seem like a nice guy."

"That's definitely something I'd like to credit myself with." Then, out of nowhere I felt the warmth of his hand cover mine. My eyes shifted from our hands to his eyes "Is everything okay, Loren? You seem a little upset and I don't mean about the party."

My eyes lingered on his hand on mine once again before the momentarily fogginess in my head cleared up "Yeah, things are just kind of complicated right now. You know, with my mom and Adriana's dad getting married and moving into their house, combining our lives. It's just all a bit much and I'm not good with change."

"Are you sure that's it?" He was pushing for something and I could only assume it had to do with Eddie but I barely knew Cam and if I wasn't having this conversation with Melissa, I surely wasn't going to have it with him.

I pulled my hand out from under his and slowly dragged my fingertips across the water of the pool "Yup, I'm sure." We both knew I was lying.

"Loren" the gentle nature in the way he said my name caused my gaze to linger back to him "Are you seeing anyone?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean" he took a staggering breath "are you dating anyone?"

Awkwardly, I hung my head shaking it slightly "Cam we barely know each other."

"No, I know but I would really like to get to know you. You seem like a pretty cool girl" he said as his hand gently rested on my cheek.

"Cam I-" but before I get a word out Cameron's lips were gently pressed to mine. The repulsive smell of beer lingered on his lips and the hand he had on my face kept me still but as soon as it dropped I pulled back slowly. Waves of confusion and uncertainty rippled through me as the kiss broke apart.

Cameron's eyes searched mine for some sort of assurance but I knew that he found none as his face dropped and he looked down, obviously embarrassed by his drunken actions. Before either of us could say anything my phone beeped and I drew it out of my pocket to see a text message from Eddie. He was here and out front.

Without another word to Cameron I stood up and walked back towards the house. The gentle slap of my wet feet against the concrete seemed almost obnoxiously loud in the awkward silence that had encased the back yard.

When I opened the front door Eddie stood in front of me, dressed in dark denim and a grey t-shirt that hugged his muscles perfectly. "Hello."

And by speaking one word he managed to bring out the smile that had been swiped off my face in the moments with Cameron. "Hi."

**Hey guys! I know this chapter is late and I know you probably don't want to hear the excuses but you deserve them! I worked all day Thursday and when I came home I had a severe headache. I couldn't edit the chapter it was so bad and I didn't want to post an unedited chapter. As for Friday, I was back to school shopping with my little sister all day and then spent the night catching up on Hollywood Heights that I missed on Thursday as well as Friday! So I came home right after work today, edited the chapter quickly and posted! Please don't hate me! I feel so bad so making you guys wait! I'll try and write an extra chapter this week to make up for it!**

**Anyway, as for Hollywood Heights this past week HOLY CRAP! Anyone else COMPLETELY fangirling over Thursday and Friday's episodes?! The Leddie food fight and make out session was just perfect. But Chloe…I've never wanted to bitch slap a fictional person so badly in my life!**

**Until tomorrow! Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	7. First Kiss

"_And when I dream about tomorrow__, __I've got you on my mind__,_

_I am hopelessly devoted__, __Just want you in my life__  
__What I'm trying to say__, __In my own simple way__  
__Is I want you to be my last first kiss"_

_Last First Kiss by Ron Pope_

"This is quite the party" Eddie commented as he stepped through the door, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I let out a short laugh as I closed the door behind him "I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you're used to." I replied turning to face him "You're probably accustomed to fancy champagne served on silver platters while cruising on big fancy yachts."

Eddie laughed shaking his head at my absurdity "Actually this is pretty insane compared to what I'm used to" he admitted.

I shrugged, wringing my hands together "Same here."

Eddie's gaze narrowed in direction and he took a step forward, so he wouldn't have to continue to talk over the music "Are you okay? You seem a little off."

I smiled gently, a little thrown that after only a week of knowing each other he could pick up on that fact "It's been a weird night." I looked over Eddie's shoulder and saw that slowly, people were catching onto the fact that Eddie Duran was here. Some already had their phones out and were snapping pictures while others were forcibly preventing themselves from blinking. "We should get you away from the crowd" I suggested, at which he turned around slowly to see the sea of people taking notice of his presence.

Turning around to face me again, he scratched the back of his neck nervously and his hand gestured in my direction "After you." I lead him through the house and crowd of people and out into the back yard where I took note that Cameron had, thankfully, left.

I led him to the patio set where I took a seat, after turning the chair to face the one beside it where Eddie had taken a seat. I pulled my knees up to my chest, allowing my chin to rest on them. "So…what's new with you?"

Eddie leaned back into the chair, letting out an exasperated sigh "I really don't think you want to start with me" there was a lightness to his voice but his eyes spoke volumes above it and I could tell that the pain from everything going on in his life was still tearing him up inside. "What's going on with you?"

I brought the corner of my bottom lip between my teeth, biting down gently and unsure if I could talk about the situation with Cameron to Eddie. Normally I would go straight to Melissa, but Mel wasn't here and Eddie was. "Nothing" I managed to blurt out suddenly.

Eddie shifted in his seat, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, engaging himself. "Loren…" his voice edged me on gently. And I caved.

I placed my feet back on the ground, tucking one ankle under the other and leaned my head back against the soft cushion of the chair "There's this guy…" I began earning a soft chuckle from Eddie.

"Okay?"

I took a deep breath and allowed my eyes to meet his "Not like that." I paused for a moment, racking my brain for a way to make this any less embarrassing. "Well, he claims to like me."

Eddie nodded "Not seeing the problem here, I think that's understandable. You're a pretty cool girl Loren Tate."

I smiled lightly at his words and realized how much easier this conversation would be with Melissa. "I barely know him" I confessed. "We've only talked a few times and all within the last week. Before that, it was like he didn't know I existed." Eddie's gaze narrowed a little in curiosity. "He kissed me tonight." I blurted out.

The surprise on Eddie's face was undeniable "Was it a good kiss?"

I could feel the blush of my cheeks begin to burn "I don't know" I confessed as I buried my face in my hands.

"You don't know?" He was obviously confused, not only by my words but by my actions as well.

Lifting my head, I drew my knees back up to my chest and rested my chin on them once again "It was my first kiss."

Eddie looked a little more shocked than I had anticipated "Seriously?"

I down casted my gaze "I'm so embarrassed right now" I laughed.

"Why?" The sincerity in his voice forced me to look back up.

I shrugged my shoulders, as I pressed my thighs further into my chest "I'm eighteen, it's kind of pathetic."

Eddie's expression softened as he dragged his chair closer to mine so that he was directly in front of me "Listen to me, your first kiss, whether it's when you're eighteen, sixteen, fourteen, twelve or even nine" he gestured to himself on the last one causing me to let out an actual giggle. And I wasn't a giggler. "It doesn't mean a thing."

I raised my eyebrows in question "What do you mean?"

Eddie shrugged "You're first kiss is whatever. It's the result of a bad dare or unwanted outcome from spin the bottle. But your last first kiss? The last person you kiss before you die, that one means everything. That is the person you decided to spend your life with. There's really no competition if you compare the two." Leave it to the musician to be insightful.

"Were you really nine when you had your first kiss?" I asked, teasing him slightly. Eddie laughed, nodding his head in the process. "Even back then you had the ladies swooning huh?"

He ran a hand through his hair, allowing it to rest on the back of his neck "I don't know about that." Absentmindedly, I began to play with the hem of my dress, allowing the soft fabric to pool through my fingers. "So this guy" Eddie began, catching my attention once again. "Why do you think he made a move? I mean, from the sound of things you weren't giving him any indication that you were interested."

Shaking my head, I dropped the hem "You maybe?" I confessed. "I don't know," I shrugged "ever since those pictures were taken from that restaurant people have been paying more attention to me. I guess that's what got him to notice me. And I'm sure the alcohol had a hand in giving him the guts to kiss me tonight."

Eddie lifted a hand to politely interrupt "Wait, he was drunk?"

"I don't about drunk but he was definitely drinking. I could smell it on him."

"Not exactly how you pictured your first kiss, huh?"

I couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that I let out "Not really." Then I took a deep breath and plastered a small smile on my face "So tell me about your week, it has to have been more interesting than mine."

Eddie hand his hand over his face, in obvious frustration "I'm sure you're tired hearing about my Chloe drama."

I shook my head and softened my voice "If you need to talk I'm ready to listen."

Eddie scanned my features looking for any hesitation that hung from my words, but I knew he didn't find it. I was genuinely concerned about him, about his well being and truly did want to help. If that meant listening to him vent about Chloe once again then that's what I would do. "Chloe showed up at my place yesterday."

I was pretty sure my eyes widened immensely "She's persistent."

"Yeah" Eddie chuckled lightly.

"What did she say?"

"More or less of the same, that she's sorry for what she did, she wishes she could take it back. She misses me. She still loves me." The last sentence was spoken just above a whisper.

In my mind you don't cheat on the loves you love, you don't purposefully hurt them. You don't betray their trust or take advantage of them. In my mind Chloe never truly loved him but I knew it wasn't my place to say any of that. "Do you still love her?"

Eddie met my gaze, a pained expression washing over him "I loved her enough to think that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. That doesn't just go away over night."

From inside the house there was a loud _thump_ and _crash _making me cringe "I'm going to kill Adriana for throwing this party."

Eddie laughed; the heaviness of the conversation lifted and turned his attention to the windows overlooking the backyard where people were pressing their faces up against the glass to catch a glimpse of him. "Maybe you should introduce me to your friends. I'm afraid someone's going to fall right through the glass soon."

Nodding, I stood up and gestured for him to follow me, as I went back into the house. I could feel the heat of Eddie's body beside me as I pushed through the crowd and made my way into the dining room where Adam, Ben, Den, Cali, Carissa and Cameron were gathered around the table laughing and conversing. "Hey guys." Everyone turned their attention in my direction but everyone's eyes landed on Eddie "Everyone, meet Eddie, Eddie meet everyone" I introduced lamely.

Eddie gave me an amused look as Adam stood and extended his hand "I'm Adam and you're shorter than I thought you'd be" Adam admitted.

"I get that a lot" Eddie replied with a laugh, "and it's nice to meet you Adam, Loren's talked about you a lot."

"Cool" Adam's face lit up like a kid in a candy store "very cool." Then Adam turned to me, finally acknowledging my presence "By the way Loren, about an hour ago Mel said she was going to try to sneak out once her parents went to bed. So she might be by in a little while."

As much as I wanted to see Melissa I didn't want her to get into trouble "Did you tell her Phil's here?"

Adam nodded "She knows, apparently she has some dirt on him so she's convinced he won't squeal."

"Okay, well umm" I gestured to Cali and Carissa and gently touched Eddie's arm to get his attention "Eddie, this is Cali and Carissa they're huge fans of yours; almost as much as I am" I teased.

Eddie shook both of their hands and thanked them as they both sounded off their love for his music. Then, Ben and Den introduced themselves and began to go on and on about their own music, even coercing Eddie to agree to take a listen to their CD that Den had stashed away in his car.

Finally it was just Cameron left who had not yet been introduced. "Hey, I'm Eddie" Eddie introduced himself before I had the chance.

Cameron politely took his hand, reaching across the table "Cameron. So how did you and Loren meet?" I didn't understand the jealousy that clung to his words.

Eddie took a quick glance at me as everyone waited in anticipation for the answer that was on everyone's mind. "Right place, right time."

I smiled at Eddie's answer and ignored the confused and curious looks that I was getting from my friends.

"Wow, this place is crazy" I heard a familiar voice say from behind me and I quickly turned around to see Melissa looking slightly unnerved by the crowd.

"Hey!" I quickly drew her into a hug "I'm so glad you snuck away. Lisa came down pretty hard on you huh?"

Mel pulled away, shaking her head at her mother "She's so condescending and hypocritical. At least I know where Phil gets it." She looked around the room giving a general wave "Hey everyone" and she did a double take when she saw Eddie "Eddie Duran?"

Eddie laughed at Melissa's obvious state of shock "Hey Melissa, how's it going?"

Mel quickly recovered from her loss of composure and shrugged "Alright, you? I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to say goodbye on Monday."

Eddie waved off her apology "Don't worry about it. I know I kind of disappeared for a while and you had to get home."

Mel nodded "Yeah…it was fun though! Your director totally shot down my ideas. It was awesome!"

Eddie looked as confused as I had been and so I felt the need to provide the explanation that I was still figuring out "It was her first Hollywood rejection. Apparently that's a big deal."

"You want to be a director?" Eddie seemed genuinely interested as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his body towards Mel. For the next few minutes the two found themselves in an in depth conversation about the industry and Eddie even offered to let her tag along to his next video shoot as well. Needless to say, Mel was ecstatic.

After a while the conversation seemed to flow and Eddie seemed to get along with my friends fairly easily. Everyone was interested in what he had to say and he was just as interested to hear the silly high school stories that they all had to tell. Melissa and I wound up sharing a chair has more and more people flowed into the room to hear Eddie's stories and get a closer look at him.

"So umm…what exactly is Eddie doing here?" Mel asked quietly as everyone else was preoccupied.

I blushed at what I knew she was implying "We're friends. Friends attend friends' parties."

"I thought it wasn't your party" Mel countered.

"It's my house."

"I thought it was the Masters' house?" I could tell Mel wasn't going to let up on the situation.

"I needed a friend" I replied plainly.

Melissa looked around the room, her eyes landing on everyone that she knew I considered friends, "Uh huh." I lowered my head a little, unwilling to meet her eyes. "You like him don't you?" Her voice was no longer accusing. I didn't answer. "No one would blame you Lo, you're spending time with your celebrity crush and actually getting to know him. Not to mention seeing those muscles up close and personal." I playfully slapped her arm. "I'm just saying" she laughed. "Besides, you two seem to have a pretty special connection."

"We're just friends" I countered quickly, my voice a little more harsh than expected.

Mel's eyes focused on the side of my face for a moment "Okay." And with that she dropped the subject.

I turned my attention to Cameron who was downing another bottle of beer and allowing some of the vile liquid to trickle down his chin. Judging by the way he had been downing the liquid, something had to be on his mind and I wasn't arrogant enough to believe, even for a second, that it was me. Something was going on with him.

"You okay?" Beside me, Eddie had taken Melissa's vacant seat. I hadn't even noticed that she had moved. Adam was gone as well. I could only assume that they had ventured off together and the thought brought a smile to my face. I was rooting for them.

"I'm fine, just worried about a friend" I replied, my eyes traveling back to Cameron.

"Yeah…something tells me that he's not going to remember that kiss tomorrow" Eddie replied.

I turned to him surprised by his ability to put the pieces together "How did you-"

Eddie laughed "The two of you have been sharing awkward side glances the whole time we've been in here. It wasn't that hard to figure out." He looked back at Cameron who was laughing with a friend and chugging a new bottle. "Yeah…he's not going to remember a thing."

I lightly hit Eddie's chest "Thanks."

He chuckled "What?"

Rolling my eyes I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back into the chair "Every girl wants her first kiss to be _that_ forgettable" I replied sarcastically.

The smile on Eddie's face slowly evaporated "It really bothered you didn't it?"

Shrugging, I casted my eyes downward "Guess I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic."

Eddie shook his head, resting a hand on my knee "No one would blame you for wanting it to be more meaningful."

A small smile made its way to my lips at his understanding "Was yours?"

Eddie laughed. His grip on my knee tightened for a minute before he released it and clasped his hands together "I was nine, she was ten. She was my dad's guitar techs daughter. I basically ran up to her, kissed her and ran away. For the next two weeks I called her my girlfriend even though I think we had spoken a total of three words to each other the entire tour."

"Wow, I didn't take you for the kiss and dash type" I teased causing both of us to laugh.

"What's with the sub party Loren?" Adriana's voice caused the smile to instantly drop from my face and when she walked around the table into view, I cringed. She was obviously pissed about something. "Well? Are you going to introduce us?" Adriana looked between Eddie and me.

Waving my hand between the two, I did as she asked "Eddie, Adriana."

Adriana's face tightened at my obvious lack of interest "Nice _sis_." Adriana plastered a smile on her face, teeth bared, lips pulled tightly in each direction. "I'm Adriana, Loren's step-sister. It's _so_ nice to meet you Eddie."

Eddie bit back an amused smile "The pleasure is all mine Adriana. I've heard a lot about you."

And just like that the smile on her made up face fell. "Well…what brings you to my party?"

Eddie draped his arm over the back of the chair that we were both sitting on "Loren let me invite myself." A small laugh escaped me at his sort of true words. "I hope you don't mind."

Adriana suddenly looked horrified, as if she had offended him in some way "No, of course not. We just weren't expecting you. You're welcome any time."

"Thank you." Then Eddie turned his attention back to me "I should probably get going though, I have an early meeting."

"I'll walk you out" We both stood and Eddie said a quick goodbye to everyone in the room, before following me to the front door.

Before stepping outside, I slipped my feet into a pair of tan ankle boots that I had left by the door, Eddie waited patiently on the front step.

The night was crisp and cool, nipping lightly while the slow, tangible wind blew through the trees. The music from inside pulsated through the exterior of the house disrupting the calm and serene of the outside world. Beside me, Eddie walked staring down at his feet. I suspected he was taking in the beauty of the silence as well.

After walking the length of the driveway I recognized his car on the other side of the street and walked him to it. "Well, thank you for coming here tonight and for listening to me. I know girl talk probably isn't your thing."

Eddie leaned against the car, his warm smile overshadowing the cool night. "Don't worry about it, I had fun. You're friends are nice, I really liked Adam. How long have he and Melissa been together?"

My face lit up at his question "They're not actually, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it." I looked around the front of the house quickly my eyebrows pulled together "Where did they disappear to anyway?"

Eddie looked around quickly "I think I heard Adam ask Melissa to go for a walk about, half an hour ago?" I was convinced that more was going on with them then they let on. "I see what you were saying with Adriana by the way, she seems a little-"

"Horrible?" I cut in.

Eddie smiled "I was going to say intense but that works too."

"Did she scare you off?"

Eddie shook his head "No, I honestly do have a meeting with Jake in a few hours but I was wondering…" His eyes searched mine for a moment "What are you doing tomorrow?"

I scanned my brain for any pre made plans "Nothing I can think of. Why?"

Eddie looked down, growing seemingly nervous. It was a colour I hadn't seen him in before "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the afternoon with me. It's been a while since I've had someone to just hang out with, I'd like to advantage of your friendship while I have it."

Hearing Eddie sounding so nervous and insecure was almost a wake-up call to me. Sure, he was this larger than life rock star fresh off his first world tour with a fancy car, millions of screaming fans and more money than he knew what to do with but underneath the persona, under the flashing smile on the red carpet and the overly confident guy in the interviews was a regular person. And like all regular people, he did have insecurities. He too worried about things in his daily life and he too needed someone to confide in.

For some unknown cosmic reason, he had chosen to allow me into his life and I wanted him to know that I didn't take that for granted. I knew how hard it was to let people in. I wasn't to take advantage of it. "You have it for as long as you want it" I told him confidently, hoping the sureness in my voice and gentleness of my features allowed him to believe it.

Eddie took a step closer to me and opened his arms before wrapping them tightly around me. At first I was in a bit of shock. The smell of his expensive cologne filled my nostrils and soon I wrap my arms around him as well, feeling the soft leather of his jacket under my fingertips.

When we pulled apart, the cool wind rushed back around me and I instantly missed the heat of his body. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely" I smiled and stepped to the side as he climbed into his car and waved as he pulled away from the curb and took off the down the road.

Back in the house the party was slowly dying down. Adriana was saying goodbye to some of her friends while attempting to hold up a very drunk and out of sorts Phil. I scanned the room in search of Melissa and Adam but they were nowhere to be found and I figured that after the two had taken off together Mel had probably asked Adam to take her home, to avoid any chances of getting caught by her parents.

Soon, a platinum blonde that I recognized from school approached me but had no recollection of her name "So it's true? You're really dating Eddie Duran?"

"That's so awesome!" Her red headed friend drawled. "Is he a good kisser?"

"Don't be ridic Nance," Adriana replied as she walked up to the three of us, looking me dead in the eye "Loren is not dating Eddie Duran. He probably just feels sorry for you and your obvious lack of anything cool."

Leave it Adriana to make a directed insult only insult her own intelligence "Goodnight Adriana." The last thing I wanted to do was shrink down to her level and start shouting out insults back and forth. I had more pressing matters on my mind, like what I should wear on my outing with Eddie later today.

**Happy Sunday/Monday (depending on where you are in the world!) I hope you all had wonderful a weekend and if not, don't fret, the end of the weekend means the beginning of another five new episodes of Hollywood Heights! Thanks so much for reading so far and don't forget to review/favourite/follow! It makes me smile!**

**Well, I'm off to bed! All the best and stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	8. Ferris Wheel

"_We've got our feet dangling high off the ground  
Can you believe, baby, how good it feels  
Falling in love, falling in love on a Ferris wheel."  
Ferris wheel by Jason Jones_

Mom sighed into the phone and the image of her placing her hand on her forehead began to paint perfectly in my mind. "How bad is it?"

I picked up a shard of the vase that had been damaged at some point during the party but kept my eyes glued to the floor where hundreds more pieces were scattered around my booted feet. "Like on a scale of one to ten?" There was no point in lying. By this time tomorrow Mom and Don would be home and would bear witness to the destruction on their own. "Eight."

"Oh, Loren" her voice was condescending.

"I'm sorry" I said once again, feeling like a broken record. "By the time I caught on to what was happening the party was in full swing and there was literally nothing I could do about it Mom. Believe me."

"I do" she seemed a little less unnerved by my sudden state of panic. "I just-Don is going to be so upset with Adriana and the last thing I want to come home to is a fight and sty of a house."

I walked down the hall to Adriana's room where she and her friends were still passed out over the chairs and bed, limbs sprawled, hair tangled into masses and clothes twisted every which but the right way. I wondered how such tiny girls could consume so much alcohol. "Yeah, and I don't think Adriana is going to be up to cleaning the place today."

Mom sighed again, obviously frustrated. "Well, could you start tidying up a bit? I don't want a lawsuit on our hands if one of her friends steps on broken glass."

I tore the phone away from my ear to check the time "Yeah, I'll do what I can but I'm heading out in about twenty minutes."

"I thought you said Mel was grounded?"

"She is" I replied a little too quietly.

"So who are you-oh, Loren" the weight of disapproval hung strongly from her voice.

I let my body lean against the wall in frustration "What?"

"I just don't want you to get too attached hon. I don't want you to get hurt" My mom was adorable when she pulled out the Mom card. I truly was lucky to have her.

"We're hanging out Mom, there's nothing going on" I promised.

"Mhmm" she was biting back, that much was obvious.

Making my way into the kitchen, I grabbed the broom and dust pan and then started towards the living room. "I know not to expect anything Mom. He's Eddie Duran for crying out loud."

Mom scuffed on the other end "It's not him _not_ being interested that I'm worried about Lo."

The eye roll came naturally "_Anyway,_I should go. I still need to finish getting ready."

"Okay." She took a beat, trying to think of what to say. I honestly didn't understand why my friendship with Eddie had her so worked up. "Well, have fun, bring sunscreen just in case you stay outdoors and take your phone with you okay? Is it charged?"

"I charged it last night" I informed her.

"Good. I love you Lo."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

Looking around the living room, I suddenly became extremely thankful to Eddie for taking me out this afternoon. Simply put, it meant that the mess I had no hand in creating would not fall on me to clean up. The way I would have let it had I stayed home all day.

After picking up the shards of the vase and broken pieces of the ceramic pot that had fallen from the mantle, I had just enough time to run a brush through my hair once more and grab my purse before the doorbell rang.

Grabbing my purse, I fixed the strap over my shoulder and grabbed my keys from the table beside the door before twisting the knob and pulling the door open.

"Hello" his greeting was a little shy and cute all the same.

"Hi there," I pulled the door shut behind me as I stepped outside. "So what's the plan for today?"

Eddie began to lead me towards his car "I was thinking the Santa Monica Pier? We can walk around a little, talk?"

I smile graciously as he opened the passenger side door for me "And ride the Ferris wheel?"

Eddie laughed at my obvious excitement "We can do that."

He walked around the car and climbed into the driver's seat before reaching into the back seat and pulling out a baseball cap and sunglasses "Disguise?" I guessed.

He shrugged "It won't fool everyone but most people don't take a second glance when I wear it."

I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head "It wouldn't fool me."

Eddie started the car, chuckling lightly "No?"

On the pier, young families were huddled together snapping photos of what would become life long memories and children were leaning over the wooden rails to get a closer look at the water below them. Some had ice cream melting down their hands and others enjoying the soft cotton candy as the sweet treat quickly melted in their mouths.

Eddie and I were side by side, watching the people, some of whom were obviously enjoying their vacation and others who simply seemed to be enjoying the hot spring day. "I have to say, I was a little surprised to see your house still standing when I came" Eddie commented as he handed me one of the bottles of water he had just purchased.

"Thanks." I took the bottle from him, and untwisted the cap "You should've come inside you'd probably eat your words" I said before taking a sip of water.

Eddie followed suit, obviously the suns heat had already had an effect on him as well "That bad?"

Twisting the cap back on I shrugged "Bad enough that I called my mom to tell her about the party. There was no hiding the damage."

Eddie's face soured "Yikes, what did she say?"

"She was not too impressed" I admitted "but more so with Adriana. She knows me well enough to know that it wasn't my idea but I also think she had more faith in Adriana."

Eddie looked at me curiously "Is your mom close to Adriana?"

Shrugging, I took another sip of water "I guess."

"And you hate that" Eddie guessed.

I thought about it for a moment, "It's not that I hate that they're close, I just hate how Adriana can manipulate my mom into thinking she's a good a person."

"That's pretty harsh" Eddie sounded a little surprise by my words.

I sighed, knowing it would be hard to explain Adriana's true nature "She's honestly one of the worst people I've ever met. She was always a bully in elementary but in seventh grade, for some reason, she focused her sights on me and decided to make my life a living hell."

"Do you know why?"

I shook my head "I know her mom left around that time and I guess it was really hard on her but still, that's no excuse."

Eddie stopped walking and leaned against the wooden rail "Maybe but I don't think you can judge someone unless you've walked in their shoes, you know?"

In that moment I wanted to tell him about my past and that my understanding of being abandoned by a parent was stronger than he knew, but something held me back. Maybe it wasn't the right time. Maybe I was embarrassed to admit to the fact that my dad hadn't wanted me. Maybe I just didn't want to add any more weight to the day. "How's the new album coming?" I asked blatantly changing the subject.

Eddie gave me a knowing smile but allowed the subject to be dropped and moved on "It's not to be honest" he admitted. "I'm a little blocked."

"Hmm" I found that a little strange "I would think it would be easier to write with a broken heart" I said before I had time to think. And once the words left my mouth I bit my tongue hoping I could take them back. I knew Chloe was the last thing he wanted on his mind.

Eddie shook his head "You'd think but for some reason I just can't seem to put my feelings on paper right now." He slowly removed his hat and glasses.

"Maybe she's just not worth a song" I said suggestively at which Eddie looked at me a little surprised but I could see that the words weighed on him.

And once again I bit my tongue "I'm sorry, it's not my place to say something like that."

However, to my surprise, Eddie let out a small laugh "Something tells me your not Chloe's biggest fan."

"I'm not" I said bluntly. Eddie smile gently at me, obviously seeing the fact that she had hurt him didn't sit well with me. "You know, I saw you in concert a few weeks ago."

Eddie looked unsurprised to hear me change the subject but seemed interested in where I was taking the conversation "Oh, yeah?"

"Mhmm, you sang to me" I told him a small smile creeping onto my lips. Eddie looked at me curiously. "It was at the Avalon and you were singing 'Something in the Air'. You reached out, grabbed my hand and sang to me." I blushed slightly at the memory. "Mel has it on video on her blog."

Timidly, I met Eddie's gaze "I guess it was meant to be then."

"What?" My voice was soft, shy even.

"Us," he replied strongly "our friendship."

The way my heart skipped at that simple but all the same complex word astonished me. Us; coming from Eddie, with me in context was incredible. "Or maybe it was all just chance" I countered.

"Either way" Eddie shrugged the smile still on his face "I'm glad you were on that hill."

"Me too."

"Oh my gosh, you're Eddie Duran!" I turned around to see a girl, only a few years younger than me standing between two of her friends and pointing in Eddie's direction, with her other hand covering her mouth in a state of shock. "We love you so much" she said gesturing to her friends "we're your biggest fans!"

Eddie smiled though he was obviously a little uncomfortable by the sudden attention "Thank you."

The friend to the girl's left pulled out her phone "Can we take a picture with you?"

Eddie nodded and moved to stand beside the girls as one of them tried to take a picture by holding the phone out in front of her. "Here" I said as I put my water down and moved towards them, holding my hand out to take the phone "I can take it." She handed the phone over and I took a few steps back to get all four of them in the frame before snapping the picture "Cute." I handed the phone back to the girl.

"Thanks" the girl said giving me a curious glance as Eddie made his way to stand beside me.

"You're welcome" I saw Eddie pick up my water and I gave the girls a warm smile as he handed it to me. "Are you girls excited for Eddie's new video?"

They looked a little surprised at my attempt to make conversation but the girl in the middle didn't miss a beat "Yes! Oh my gosh, 'Something in the Air' is my most favourite song ever!"

"Mine too" I replied shooting Eddie a knowing smile which he returned. "And the video is incredible" I assured them as my attention returned to them "or at least what I've seen of it."

Eddie's phone started to ring and when he pulled it out of his pocket to check the caller ID I saw that it was his dad. He turned to me directly "I should take this." I could tell he was a little weary and he didn't want to be rude by answering his phone.

I waved off his uncertainty with a smile "Go ahead."

Eddie walked a few steps away for privacy, leaving me with the girls who were all continuing their curious and judging looks. "You're the girl from those photos" the one on the right said suddenly "the ones from the restaurant with Eddie."

Eyes met boots in a moment of insecurity "Yeah, that's me."

"So are you two like, dating?" The girl in the middle asked.

I looked up genuinely taken back by the bluntness of the question "No, we're just friends."

"How come we've never seen you with before then?" The girl on the left asked.

To say I was getting uncomfortable would be an understatement "We haven't been friends for very long" I replied, hoping the questions were coming to an end.

"What's your name?" The girl on the right asked.

"Loren" I replied.

"I'm a Lauren too!" The girl in the middle replied as she brought my attention the necklace around her neck, spelling out her name in gold cursive.

I smiled at her obvious excitement "Your necklace is really beautiful. My name's spelt with an O, though" I told her. The girl's face dropped only slightly when I told her the difference between our names.

At that time Eddie made his way back towards us "Sorry about that, my dad was just calling to see if I wanted to go for lunch."

"I don't want to keep you from your dad" I told him, though selfishly hoping that we wouldn't have to call the day short.

Eddie shook his head as he playfully nudged me "You're not going to get rid of me that easily." Then he turned to the girls "It was very nice meeting you ladies, but I didn't catch your names."

The girls all beamed and sounded off one by one. "Heather" the girl on the right said.

"Lauren."

"Cassie."

Eddie smiled "Well, it really was a pleasure. Enjoy your day okay?" They all nodded enthusiastically and then Eddie placed his hand on the small of my back and began to guide me away.

"Do you ever get used to that?" I wondered aloud.

Eddie shook his head as he placed the hat back on his head and put his sunglasses in his pocket "Not really. I mean I kind of grew up with it because of my parents but having it all be for me is...really different."

"Small price though right? I mean you get to do what you love, the music."

Eddie nodded "Yeah, the fan attention I love. They're great, and enthusiastic and passionate but the media attention is what gets to me."

"It must be hard, having your personal life under such scrutiny" by now I had noticed more and more people catching onto Eddie's presence.

Eddie seemed to catch onto my wandering gaze and looked around himself, seeing the not so subtle stares, whispers, points and snaps of cameras. "I'm sorry about all of this" whispered into my ear.

The feeling of his breath on my neck sent a shiver down my spine. "It's okay, do you want to go? I'd completely understand."

Eddie smiled down at me "I promised you a Ferris wheel ride, did I not?"

I couldn't bite back the smile that crept onto my lips and slowly but surely reached my eyes "I do seem to recall that, yes."

Eddie and I walked down to the Ferris wheel and took our place at the back of the surprisingly not so long line up. It was about twenty minutes later when we were able get on the wheel.

As we started to rise, Eddie cleared his throat "Did I tell you Chloe came by to see me this morning?" I turned my head, giving him my full attention believing that his question did not require an answer. He knew he hadn't. "She, supposedly, explained everything. She rolled out all of her excuses."

I nodded, taking the new information in and silently cursing her name and being for always lingering in the forefront of Eddie's mind "Anything good?"

Eddie didn't so much as crack a smile "She's says Tyler forced her into the affair. That he was blackmailing her by threatening to tell me everything about her past, about her mom and her background. She said she didn't feel she had any other option."

"She wants you back doesn't she?"

Eddie nodded "She wants a second chance. She swears it was always me she loved. She said she misses me."

"And you miss her" I added knowingly.

Eddie seemed to think about my statement for a moment "I miss the way I felt with her but now I realize that I never really even knew her." Silence overtook us for a moment. The sun beat down strongly, and there was not a cloud in sight. "It makes me wonder if I _should_ give her a second chance."

I knew that he was trying to ask me my opinion without blatantly asking for it. "Do you trust her?"

Eddie seemed surprised by my question "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. You either trust someone or you don't. It's a gut instinct-"

"No" Eddie replied, and before I could finish.

I smiled weakly "Then you just answered your own question."

Eddie sighed, leaning deeply into the chair of the cart "We were together for over a year, and to just throw all that time away…it really sucks."

"I've never been in love" I began, catching his attention a little more "but I have had my heart broken and even though my world crashed for a moment in time when it broke I wouldn't give up all of the good memories to erase the bad. It made me stronger, braver."

Eddie's features softened at my expense "Can I ask what happened?"

I took in a sharp breath "I don't really talk about it."

"Why not?"

I shrugged, not having a really good response "I don't know, I never did back then and I guess it just got easier to dissociate it for the most part." Eddie nodded, and I could tell by the concerned look in his eyes that he wasn't going to pressure me into talking, but he did genuinely care. "I don't even talk to my mom or Mel about it."

Eddie's hand slowly slipped over mine "It's okay, really. It wasn't my place to ask."

And just like that, with one simple gesture, my mouth ran away with itself "My dad left when I was four" I began catching Eddie off guard. However, instead of pulling his hand away he simply took hold of it and squeezed it reassuringly. "I don't really even remember him that much, so I know it shouldn't hurt like it does but…"

"It broke your heart" he stated simply.

My weak, barely there small faltered completely "He never even said goodbye."

Then, Eddie draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer to his side, my head instinctively rested on his shoulder. "It's his loss, you know. He missed out on knowing an incredible girl." I didn't answer but instead closed my eyes for a moment biting back emotion. "I'm really sorry Loren" he said suddenly, his hand rubbing my arm comfortingly.

"Don't be" I replied, lifting my head to look him in the eyes "it's not your fault."

"It's not yours either" he said almost sternly, as if reading my mind. Our eyes locked in a way that had the butterflies in my stomach begin to flutter rapidly and my eyes momentarily betrayed me as they shifted to his lips. I forcibly casted them down further, breaking my gaze with him completely. "You never really let yourself heal from it did you?"

At his question, my eyes shifted back to his "What do you mean?"

"You never really healed from the heartbreak, you never dealt with it."

I shrugged "I was four, I didn't know how and my mom was so distraught that I decided I had to be strong for her."

"It explains a lot though." I eyed him curiously "You're really mature for your age, it's because you forced yourself to grow up so quickly."

"Is that good or bad" I wondered aloud.

Eddie thought for a moment "Both."

"Do you think you'll ever be able to fall in love again?" My question caught us both off guard, but instead of apologizing and taking it back I simply let it hover.

Eddie remained silent for a few seconds as our cart began its descent back to the ground. "I hope so."

Our ride was over and as we stepped off, eyes stared at us, following our every move or rather Eddie's. A few people in line called his name and he sweetly agreed to take pictures with them before making his way back over to me. I saw phones snapping pictures left, right and centre and people were whispering and pointing in our direction. I discreetly tried to turn myself away from the attention.

Instead of heading right back to the car we decided to take a walk on the beach. A little while later the sun was beginning to set and the sight of it, glistening over the water like a thousand tiny crystals was simply too beautiful to pass up.

Eddie took his own phone out and pulled me beside him, snapping a picture of the two of us, the setting sun casting an orange tint onto the photo. I pulled my phone out as well, claiming I wanted my own and he obliged, resting his head against mine as I snapped the picture.

Eventually, when the sun has disappeared behind the ocean and the night began to blanket the sky, Eddie and I made our way back to his car and started back to The Valley.

Once reaching my house, Eddie stopped the car and walked around it to open the door for me before walking with me up to the house. "I had fun today" he told me, as he walked up the final step. "I haven't just hung out like that in a long time."

Reaching into my purse to grab my keys I allowed a smile to spread over my lips "I find it really hard to believe that you don't have that many friends. You must have many, all of whom I suspect are much more fascinating than me."

Eddie shook his head "Truthfully, I have one friend I keep in contact with on a regular basis but he's a photographer and tends to travel around the world on business most of the year. I only ever see him when he stops in L.A. Then, I have you. It's hard to keep friends in this business" he explained, as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "When you're constantly working or touring or traveling. You forget to make time for friends."

My head tilted to the side, my hair falling in the same direction "You seem to make time for me" I argued.

A small wonder filled smile crept onto his face "There's just something about you Loren Tate."

The way he said it rendered me quiet and in that silence the front door opened, causing us both to jump slightly from the sudden interruption. Both of our gazes shifted quickly to the door and I saw my mom standing there, obviously just as surprised as we were "Mom?"

"Hi there" she replied, looking back and forth between Eddie and I.

"What are you doing here?"

Mom's eyes lingered on Eddie for a second too long before she turned her full attention to me "I live here, same as you."

I narrowed my eyes at her smart response "You know what I mean. I thought you weren't flying back until tomorrow."

Mom nodded, now understanding my question "Don overheard you and I talking this morning about the party and insisted we come back to check on the house. We got in a few hours ago." Her gaze shifted back to Eddie.

I got the hint. "Eddie" I began "this is my mom, Nora, Mom this is Eddie."

Eddie reached his hand out towards him "It's nice to finally meet you."

Mom smiled warmly and shook his hand "Same to you." When their hands both dropped Mom gestured back into the house "Dinner is almost ready and you're more than welcome to join us Eddie."

Eddie glanced at me quickly "I don't want to impose."

I quickly shook my head "Don't be silly, you should stay."

Eddie looked back between my mom and me before happily caving "I'd love that, thank you."

Mom stepped out of the doorway, leaving room for Eddie and me to enter and as I passed her to she gave me a curious and almost accusing look. One I didn't really understand. Eddie and I were just friends. I had told her that. I had told Mel that. I had told a house full of school mates that. If only I convince myself of that.

**Hey guys, I know that there was no update this Thursday but life got in the way. I wound up taking extra shifts at work, I had family in from out of town and my best friend and I finally saw each other after months of surviving on text messages and phone calls. The good news is that work is going to be slowing down for me now because everyone is back from their vacations so I won't be covering for anyone for a while! This means that I should be able to get an extra chapter or two out this week! You guys deserve it. You're all so incredible and kind when it comes to this story! And I am SO GRATEFUL if I don't say that enough! **

**Now to address some things you guys have brought up: **

**Yes, there will be a slow build up to the Eddie and Loren romance because like all of you I want Eddie to ready when they begin their relationship. I don't want Loren hurt either.**

**I will be following the show in terms of settings and the occasional story line (like in this chapter as Eddie stays for dinner like he did in episode 144) however, my story IS different. I do plan, however, on following a similar time line as the show. IE, spring break will come into effect as well as Mel's and Eddie's birthdays. I will be throwing my own things in though.**

**There is drama to come, trust me. ;)**

**Ask me more questions, I'm happy to answer! And enjoy the last bit your weekend! Hollywood Heights tomorrow! (What this show has done to me, I'm telling you!) **

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	9. Falling For Him

"_I don't know, but I think I may be falling for you_

_Dropping so quickly, maybe I should keep this to myself_

_Wait until I know you better"_

_-Falling For You by Colbie Caillat_

At the dinner table, the tension between Don and Adriana was incredibly transparent. Don had barely looked up from his food and Adriana had spent the last five minutes pushing her food around on her plate.

"So Eddie" Mom finally broke the silence, causing everyone to jump slightly. "You just finished up a world tour, didn't you?"

Eddie seemed happy by her sudden interest "Yeah, just a couple weeks ago."

Mom nodded, "It finished here in L.A. didn't it? I think Loren attended it."

Eddie turned to me, smiling "So she was telling me."

"I was there too" Adriana suddenly chimed, "it was amazing, Eddie. _You _were amazing."

Eddie nodded in gratitude "Thank you Adriana that means a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the show." Eddie then looked between my mom and Don "And congratulations to you both by the way, on your marriage."

"Thank you" Don replied, a little too loudly. "It was a long time coming" he smiled at my mom from across the table.

Adriana placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward, towards Eddie "So Eddie, when is your next album going to be coming out?"

Eddie chuckled nervously and pushed a chopped carrot around on his plate "As soon as I can find the inspiration to write it" he said as he looked back up at her.

"Oh, well maybe you can get Loren to help you" Mom voice raised a few notches with excitement and I not so discretely kicked her under the table at her suggestion.

Eddie looked at me, confusion and surprise lacing his features "You write music?"

"Sort of" I admitted embarrassed, "not well though. I just fool around with it."

Mom brushed my answer off "She never lets me hear any of it but the bits and pieces I have caught by listening outside her bedroom door are amazing."

I narrowed my eyes at her playfully "You're my mom, you have to say that."

Mom looked a little insulted, but played it off knowing I was right "Okay maybe so but I happen to be telling the truth Lo, you're really good."

Eddie nudged me playfully "Why didn't you tell me?"

I looked down embarrassed by the sudden spotlight "Because compared to what you write, my stuff is beyond amateur."

"Well I'd love to hear it" he proclaimed.

With a small smile I shook my head "I'm sure you would."

"Have you heard from any Colleges yet Loren?" Don asked, obviously the subject of creativity was one he could not contribute to so he decided to move the conversation forward in his area of intelligence.

Letting out a nervous sigh I shook my head "Not yet, I should in the next few weeks though."

"What did you apply for?" Eddie asked.

I held up a finger as I finished chewing a piece of broccoli and swallowed before answering. "My BA first but then I want to apply to Law school."

Eddie seemed impressed by my ambition "Wow, Loren, that's incredible. Good for you." He shifted his attention to Adriana suddenly "What about you Adriana? What are your plans next year?"

Adriana shrugged "I don't know I might try hand at a modeling career or something" she announced suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Don looked and sounded beyond insulted by his daughter's announcement.

Adriana rolled her eyes at his outburst "Oh relax Dad, it's my life I can do what I want."

"Not while you're living under my roof" he argued. "Next year you will either pick up a full job or attend community college."

Adriana laughed openly at his ultimatum "A job? No. And there's no way I'd be caught dead on one of those campuses."

Don shook his head at Adriana "Why not? Loren has a job, and still manages to get straight A's. She's shooting for top Colleges for goodness sakes Adriana."

Adriana stood suddenly, obviously unnerved by Don's comparison "Oh, yes, let's talk how prim and perfect little miss Loren is. She can do no wrong, she's gets straight A's, she's shooting for top Colleges, she doesn't throw unpermitted parties, she's never had a boyfriend, she's perfect. Well why don't you just adopt her then Dad? Then you could have your perfect daughter and could completely write me off." Adriana then stormed out of the dining room, Mom right behind her and Don stood as well but I imagined he wasn't going after Adriana. He was probably going to get some work done.

Eddie's eyes were widened, I wasn't sure if it was shock or fear "Did I say something wrong?"

I shook my head "They always fight."

Eddie turned his body towards mine "What do we do now?"

I couldn't help but smile at his obvious discomfort "Well, this is usually how I always get stuck clearing the table. Do you want to help?" I asked as I stood and took my plate in the kitchen, scraping the last bit into the garbage and then placing it in the dish washer. I saw Eddie making his way in, a few plates in hand, his flexed biceps peeping out from under his t-shirt.

I took the plates from him and placed them on the counter "Thanks."

Eddie leaned against the counter, watching me load the dishwasher "Your mom seems pretty cool."

"She's the best."

Eddie took some of the utensils from me and began placing them in the dishwasher "Her and Don both seem really proud of you."

I nodded at his observation "They are."

Finally Eddie got to the point, "So why don't you let anyone hear your music?"

I sighed "Why does it matter?"

Eddie's eyebrows rose "You're talking to a musician."

The dishes were finally all in the washer and closed it before pushing the button to start it and leaned leant against the kitchen island to face Eddie "It's personal, you know? I don't want something that comes from my heart and that I put every vulnerability and every piece of myself into, to be judged."

Eddie smiled at me, "I get that."

I lifted myself onto the island so that I could sit down "I think that's why I admire you so much." I admitted. "Your music is so powerful and personal, your pour your heart into your lyrics and then send it out into the world. I love music like that."

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest "When I was writing my first album, my mom told me to make it as personal and heartfelt as I could and that the fans would connect to it and love it. She was right. As scary as it was to put myself out there like that, the feeling I get when fans sing my songs back to me in concert is unbelievable. It makes every bit of fear completely worth it."

"But you come from music royalty" I reminded him. "Music is in your DNA, everyone knew that whatever you put out into the world would be great because you were born to be great. I come from a family with no musical background whatsoever. I have no ground to stand on."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Eddie shook his head, obviously not finding any realism to my words "All I'm saying is that if music is something you love, you shouldn't walk away from it because you're scared."

"I don't see anything wrong with just writing for myself."

Eddie held his hands up in front of his chest, palms facing me "No argument here." His hands then dropped to his sides "It's just that from the way your mom talked about it, it sounds like music is more than just something you do for fun. She made it sound like it was almost a part of you."

Maybe Eddie was right, maybe I was scared. Music was a part of me and it was the one thing that allowed me to make sense of the world and that allowed me to navigate it. Maybe letting someone hear my music wouldn't be the worst thing, but then again but by allowing someone to see that part of my-self would only affirm my fears.

Maybe there was only one way to know for sure.

Hopping off the island, I grabbed Eddie's hand and started towards my bedroom "Come with me."

I turned the light on in my room and walked further inside, Eddie right behind me. I could sense him looking around, learning more about me by doing so. "Where's the poster?" Guitar in hand, I turned back around unsure of what he meant. "You said you had a poster of me in your room, remember?"

I was kind of embarrassed that he remembered that. "I took it down a few days ago" I confessed. "I don't know, it just felt weird to have a poster of you on my wall once we actually started to get to know each other."

Eddie smiled "I get it." I turned back around and grabbed my notebook off of my bedside table. When I looked back Eddie was holding up both of his albums, signed. "Did I sign these for you?"

I couldn't help but blush "Yeah, I went to that album signing a few weeks back."

Eddie looked back down at the albums and shook his head "So, we've met before?"

I laughed a little "Not exactly, it was for about ten seconds."

Eddie placed the albums back down "I wish I could remember that."

I simply shrugged "You met a lot of fans that day. I don't expect you to remember me."

Eddie smiled weakly and then finally noticed the guitar and notebook in my hands "Are you going to play for me?" His smile became a little more convincing.

I nodded and patted the spot next to me on my bed as I sat. He sat down, turning his body to face me as I moved closer to the centre of the bed and sat cross legged, my notebook out in front of me. "Okay, keep in mind, I've never had a singing lesson in my life and I taught myself to play guitar."

Eddie nodded, his patience deteriorating "Will you stop worrying" he laughed. Obviously he had more faith in me than I did. "I know I'll love it."

I smiled unsurely but then started to strum "_They tell me it's nice this time of year, down on earth_. _But my head been in the clouds I'm acting weird, and lost for words." _As I sang I lost myself in the song, the music taking over. Eddie sat in silence, hanging on every word and occasionally watching my fingers moving over the frets. "_Close enough to touch but you're looking through me, in the same room a smile away feels miles from where you are. Might as well be mars." _I let the last note ring out a little, to postpone having to take in Eddie's reaction.

A sweet and sincere smile spread over Eddie's face and he slowly shook his head, the reason for which I didn't really understand. "Loren, that was beautiful."

I looked down insecurely "It was a little pitchy and I messed up on the second verse and-"

Eddie grabbed my hand silencing me "It was beautiful."

"Thanks."

"I could really use your help" he said, causing me to look up and meet his eyes. "Jake seems to think that working with a co-writer will help me out of the rut that I'm in with my music and at first I shot the idea down but maybe, if you're up for it, we could give it a shot?"

His proposal left me stunned but at the same time, completely and utterly ecstatic "I'd love that."

Eddie beamed "Great, well maybe you could come over after school tomorrow?"

"To your place" I was stunned again.

Eddie let out a light chuckle "Yeah, I'll text you address later and leave your name with the doorman. Is that cool?"

"Yeah, cool."

"Awesome" Eddie checked his phone and I caught a quick glimpse of the time. I didn't realize it had gotten to be so late. "Listen, I should get going, I have a few early meetings tomorrow."

I stood up and placed my guitar back on its stand and my notebook back on my side table "I'll walk you out."

We left my room and on our way to the front door we found Adriana sitting in the living room flipping through a magazine "It was nice seeing you again Adriana" Eddie called out, instantly grabbing her attention.

She sprang to her feet and made her way over to us, tossing her hair over her shoulder "Leaving so soon?"

"I have to work early" he explained.

Adriana nodded as one of her perfectly manicured fingers twisted a piece of hair round and round "Well, don't be stranger. You're welcome here anytime. Loren or no Loren" she added smugly.

Eddie seemed a little taken back by that but simply smiled and wished her a goodnight then followed me towards the front door. "Thank you again for spending the afternoon with me and for letting me stay for dinner, it was nice."

"It was dramatic" I corrected him.

Eddie laughed, recognizing my honesty "Maybe but I haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time so it was nice to me."

"Well, I'm glad. And about what Adriana said, you are welcome here anytime" I told him. The smiling shyly I added "But I would like to be here when you are."

Eddie stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug "So would I." I hugged him back, feeling his strong back beneath my fingers and breathing in his scent. He pulled away a little and quickly pecked my cheek "Goodnight Loren."

"Goodnight." With that he opened the door and walked out to his car.

Back in the house I could hear Adriana going at it with Don again and this time Mom was in on it too. She was scolding Adriana for having an unpermitted party but also letting Don have it for being so hard on Adriana.

I decided to ignore them all and headed back into my room just in time to hear my computer_ ding _and catch Melissa's incoming video chat request which I hurriedly accepted.

"Hey Mel, glad to see your mom hasn't barred you in yet."

Melissa rolled her eyes "It's only a matter of time" she assured me. "So what were you up to today?"

"Not much, you?"

Mel widened her eyes "Seriously Lo? You spent an entire afternoon with Eddie Duran and you're calling it 'Not much'?"

I eyes her curiously "How did you know that?"

Mel rolled her eyes once more "Oh, please, it's all over the internet."

"What?" I quickly logged onto the internet bringing up Oceanup and saw a few pictures of Eddie and me on the Pier. In one Eddie and I were talking as he leaned against the wooden rail, in another my head was resting on Eddie's shoulder on the top of the Ferris wheel, a shot I couldn't believe someone had managed to get. And in another Eddie had his hand on the small of my back as we walked the length of the pier.

The one that really caught my attention though was of Eddie and the three girls we had met and spoken to on the pier. They had sent their picture to the site along with a paragraph, recapping their experience.

_My friends and I met Eddie Duran at the Santa Monica Pier today. He was SO nice and was deep in conversation with a brunette girl when we walked up to him. She actually took this picture and we found out her name is Loren! She was really sweet and really pretty and Eddie seemed to be really attentive towards her. When Eddie took a call we got to talk to her and asked if she and Eddie were dating but she told us that they were just friends. I think it's cool that Eddie's not letting his current break up with Chloe Carter stopping him from having fun and enjoying his life. He seemed to be having a lot of fun with Loren all afternoon! –Cassie_

On Celebrity UH-OH there was a little blurb under a picture of Eddie and me laughing while walking down the beach.

_Has Eddie Duran found a new leading lady after split from model fiancée Chloe Carter? Sources tell us that the young rock star spent the afternoon with a young brunette named Loren. The two spent time on the Santa Monica Pier, rode the Ferris wheel and spent some time on the beach watching the sunset and taking pictures together. Not much is known about Loren, but if you remember, Eddie was photographed with her last week after enjoying a lunch date at Rumor. Do you think Eddie has moved on or is Loren just a friend? Let us know in the comments below!_

"Mel this is insane!" To say I was panicking would be an understatement.

"Read the Perez Hilton one!" She exclaimed.

I quickly logged onto Perez's site and went to Eddie's page. On the picture of Eddie and I on the Ferris wheel and my head on his shoulder, Perez had drawn white hearts all over it and written 'CUTE!"

_There was definitely 'Something in the Air' today! Rock star Eddie Duran may have just broken things off with __cheating__ model fiancée Chloe Carter but it seems as if his heart isn't seeing Too Much Blue (MK reference!) Instead Eddie seems to be spending his days alongside a beautiful brunette, taking her to fancy restaurants and riding the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel! Well, we're not sure what exactly is going on with these two but may I say that we approve! How cute is she? And does she not remind anyone else of Eddie's mom (May she rest in peace) Katy Duran? Either way, she's definitely no Chloe Carter! (Thank goodness for that!) For now we shall sit patiently and wait for those kissy pics that are sure to surface soon! Mwah!_

I shook my head as I brought the video chat screen back up "I can't believe this, this is the last thing Eddie needs right now!"

Mel shrugged, her feet swinging back and forth in the background "He didn't freak out when the pictures of you guys surface at the restaurant right? I'm sure he'll just wave this off too. Besides, it's not like it's your fault Lo."

I sighed "I know."

"You should focus on the positive! Perez Hilton called you cute and compared you to Katy Duran! How epic is that?" She seemed excited enough for the both of us.

"It is pretty cool" I admitted.

"Uh, yeah!" Melissa agreed readily. "So what _is_ going on with you two anyway? Some of those pictures looked pretty intimate Lo." I blushed and buried my face in my hands "Oh my god! Did you two kiss?"

I looked back at Mel through the screen. "No! But I really wanted to!"

"Well of course you did!" She exclaimed. "He is Eddie 'sexy as hell' Duran!"

I smiled at her description but shook my head "Yeah" but I knew it was more than that. While he was as Mel described, he was also just Eddie. Heartbroken, and tattered and yet completely capable of seeing the beauty in everything "I'm scared Mel."

"Of Eddie?"

I shook my head "Of me and my feelings for him. I think I could really fall for him."

**Happy Tuesday! And as promised here is an extra update! I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter which made a little nervous. Is the story still okay? I have SO MUCH more planned and if you guys are willing to read, I'm willing to write. I just want to know that I'm keeping your interest! If I'm not let me know! I'm here to learn! **

**Next update will be Thursday! And I don't know about all of you but I'm SO excited for the HH episodes this week! (Okay, I'm always excited for them but I'm especially excited for the concert episodes!) I hear there's some Chloe/Loren drama to go down, which I love! **

**Until next time, stay classy and please review! Let me know I'm not the right or wrong track!**

**-Tia**


	10. Nobody Ever Told You

"_All hung up on the negative__  
__Doesn't have to be the way it is__  
__Wish__you could see yourself the way I do."_

_-Nobody Ever Told You by Carrie Underwood_

"I feel like a monkey in a zoo" I said as I took my seat beside Melissa in second period English while fixing my hair so that it could curtain around my face.

Mel beamed as she took a quick look around the classroom, no doubt meeting the glances of our classmates "The prettiest, most popular monkey in the zoo" she exclaimed.

I playfully slapped her arm "It's not funny Mel, it's worse than when the pictures from the restaurant came out. It's like _everyone_ knows now."

"Knows what?" She asked coyly, resting her chin in the palm of her hand and leaning in closer to me. "Is there something you forgot to mention about your rendezvous with Eddie?"

Narrowing her eyes at her I replied "That's not what I meant."

Mel held her hands up in defense "I'm just saying, a picture's worth a thousand words and those pics of you and Eddie were singing Lo."

Letting out a heavy groan, I lowered my head onto my desk. Melissa rubbed my back comfortingly, knowing my reservations about being the centre of attention. It's one of the reasons she and I were such good friends, while I hated it, Mel craved it. We balanced each other that way.

"Hey Loren" A chipper, high pitched voice sounded from in front of me. I slowly lifted my head to see Shelby, a girl from our English class whom I had only spoken to once before when we were assigned to work on an in class assignment together.

"Hi Shelby" I didn't even try to hide my discontent. Shelby had always seemed like a nice girl and while we never had issues with one another, we weren't friends. I knew there could only be one reason she was talking to me now. "How's it going?"

Her smile grew to be a little too large for her face, "Great! I saw the pictures of you and Eddie from yesterday. I didn't know you had a boyfriend let alone were dating Eddie Duran!"

"I'm not-"

"You should totally come to my birthday party this weekend and bring Eddie with you! My parent's rented a yacht and everything since it's my eighteenth!"

Shelby went on, saying a millions words a minute and eventually I held out my hand to stall her "That's really sweet of you Shelby but I'm not dating Eddie, we're just friends and-"

"So that really was you in those pictures?" Another girl chimed in from behind us. Milly, I think her name was.

Then a girl sitting across from Melissa came over to my desk as well "So you actually know him? Like you have his cell number and everything?"

Two girls that had just entered the classroom walked over "You should totally call him!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Is it true he was at your party the other night?" Milly asked, her excitement clouded by obvious jealousy.

The brunette that had just walked in with the blonde gasped, "You had a party with Eddie Duran?"

Shaking my head I tried to get a word in edgewise but millions of questions were being thrown at me at once and I could barely hear my own thoughts, let alone make out individual questions.

Amidst the constant chatter I heard Mel throw in "He even stayed for dinner at her house!"

I threw my best friend a not so subtle glare "Thanks for that."

Eventually Mrs. Hawke entered the classroom, slamming the door shut to catch everyone's attention and without another word everyone departed from the proximity from my desk and made their way to their own seats. I had never been so happy to pull out Hamlet.

When class ended I grabbed my books, not bothering to put them in my bag. I wanted to get out before anyone had the opportunity to corner me. It wasn't until I was halfway down the hall that I realized Melissa was following behind me. "You move remarkably fast for someone who manages to find every excuse to get out of P.E."

I let out a short laugh "Sorry, I just didn't want to get bombarded with more questions."

Mel eyed me curiously "Is that why you took your Mom's car to school today? You didn't want _me_ bombarding you with questions either?"

Softening my expression, I put a hand on Mel's shoulder "Hardly, I think you got most of your questions out last night." Mel gave me sly smile as I dropped my hand "No, I just have somewhere I need to go after school."

Mel's curiosity peaked once again "Where?" The sudden smile and lack of verbal response gave her the answer "Seriously! Where are you two going this time?"

I folded my arms and looked down at my boots "His place."

Suddenly Mel began squealing and grabbed my hand "Do you know what this means?"

My eyes shifted for a moment in thought "That he has a place?"

Mel rolled her eyes, obviously disappointed by my answer "_It means_ that Eddie trusts you." Then something about her expression changed, matching that of a sly fox "It's only a matter of time now."

"What do you mean?"

Mel's shoulders slumped over "Seriously Lo? He invited you over to his place, he trusts you, he's taken you out on adorable dates _and_ he stayed for dinner last night? Eddie totally has a thing for you!"

I increased my speed as we made our way closer to my locker "Stop it Mel."

"What?" She increased her speed to keep up. "Why do you find that so incomprehensible?"

Once at my locker I quickly turned the knob entering my combination "Just trust me, he doesn't like me like that."

"I think you're wrong."

I shook my head "You don't know Eddie like I do Mel. You haven't heard the heartbreak in his voice when he talks about Chloe or seen it in his eyes whenever something reminds him of her. You haven't seen how confused he is and how much he blames himself for Chloe's infidelity." I looked Melissa dead in the eyes "You don't see how much he still loves her." I closed my locker. "Trust me when I say, if he can love someone like _her_ that much, there's no way he would ever see _me_ as more than a friend." I hugged my book tighter to my chest "I have Spanish" and with that I walked away.

When lunch rolled around, I made my way out to the courtyard where I knew Melissa and Adam would be. We preferred to eat outside, away from the circus and clique infested cafeteria.

"Hey" Adam called out when he caught sight of me.

"Hi Adam" I took a seat cross from them, crossing my legs and pulling out my bagged lunch. "How was your French test?"

Adam shrugged as he untwisted the cap of his Root Beer "It was alright. I don't think I failed it."

I couldn't help but laugh "Oh, well that's good."

Adam nodded "So what's going on with you and Eddie Duran?"

"Way to be blunt Adam" Mel laughed.

Adam simply shrugged "I'm her friend, I think I have a right to ask."

I rolled my eyes at the exchange "Eddie and I are just friends."

"For now" Mel added under her breath and I truthfully couldn't tell if she had meant for me to hear that or not.

I chose to pretend that I hadn't. "Have you heard back from any Colleges Adam?"

He shook his head "Nope, what about you?"

I shook mine as well "Nothing. I guess it's still a little early."

Just as I was about to bite into my apple I heard a familiar voice say my name from behind me "Hey Loren." I turned around to see Cameron towering over me, blocking the sun from shining into my eyes. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I put my apple back in the bag "Sure" then I stood and followed him to one of the picnic tables. I took a seat across from him. "So…what's up?"

"I'm sorry" he said suddenly.

I shifted in my seat "What for?"

He narrowed his eyes a little and titled his head "I'm not really sure. I just happen to have a very dim memory of you being angry with me on Saturday night. I think I drank too much."

While my heart dropped to my stomach I nodded "Don't worry about it." He didn't remember.

Cameron leaned in a little closer "What did I do exactly?"

I gave him a small reassuring smile "Nothing, you just, kind of hit on me, but it was nothing."

Cameron smiled shyly "Sorry if I came off a little strong but I really do like you Loren. Maybe we could-"

Before Cameron could finish his sentence my phone beeped letting me know that I had a new text. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, genuinely curious as to who was texting me in the middle of a school day and a small smile spread onto my face at the sight of Eddie's name. The text contained his address and let me know that my name had been added to his list of approved guests. He signed off by wishing me a good day at school.

"Good news?" Cameron asked pulling my attention away from my phone.

"Sorry" I wasn't normally the type to check my phone while in conversation. "It was a friend sending me some information I needed."

"For a project?" He guessed.

And considering Eddie had invited me over to work on songs and not to just simply hang out, I figured that that was a fairly appropriate description "Yeah."

"Anyway, as I was saying, maybe we could go out sometime? You said you didn't know me very well. Maybe we can rectify that." I had to admit that the gesture was sweet and I figured that there couldn't be any harm in taking him up on his offer, but for some reason, something inside of me was screaming to decline.

"As friends?"

Cameron considered it for a moment "With potential for more." He offered back.

I thought about it for a second "Can you give me a day to think about it?" Cameron looked a little taken back by my response "It's just that there's a bunch of stuff I'm dealing with right now, lots of changes and I'm not sure if adding a potential boyfriend to the mix is such a good idea."

"Is there someone else?" He shot back quickly.

I shook my head "No, there's not. Despite what everyone seems to think and what the media is printing."

"Are you sure?" He asked, pushing the topic a little "You guys looked pretty comfortable on that Ferris wheel."

I was a little insulted by the accusation in his voice "Eddie's a good friend of mine. He was letting me get something off of my chest to him and comforting me. That's what the pictures captured."

Cameron nodded but I could tell he wasn't truly convinced of my explanation "So then why the hesitation? One dinner, that's all I'm asking for."

"One dinner" I agreed before standing and making my way back to where Adam and Mel were seated.

Melissa swallowed the grape she had just popped into her mouth and looked at me, eyes wide, clearly invested "What was that all about?"

"He asked me out."

Mel's face instantly dropped "And you said no right? Please tell me you said no."

"I said yes" why was she so adamant?

"No!" Mel exclaimed, her whole body crumbling. "You're too good for him Lo. Do you really want to be with a guy who runs around with Adriana's crew?"

"He's seems nice enough" I offered lamely.

Mel shook her head "We both know he's not the one you want to be with."

"Don't go there Mel" I warned, before we both dropped the subject and Adam began to inform us of some new horror flick that was being released in the next week.

After school, drive down to Sunset to where Eddie's apartment was and recognized it immediately. It amazed me to think that all those times I had driven by, Eddie Duran had been right inside.

I parked my car in front of the building and made my way inside where I was instantly greeted by whom I could only presume was the doorman. "May I help you Ma'am?" I realized that he must know the faces of everyone residing in the building and so it only made sense that he would be weary of me.

"I parked my car right out front, is that okay? There weren't any signs saying that it wasn't allowed but I don't know, it could be an unwritten rule I'm not aware of."

He eyed me cautiously "Are you here to see someone?"

I jumped slightly, realizing I hadn't given him my name "Oh, I'm Loren Tate? I'm here to see Eddie Duran."

He held up a finger and quickly typed something into the computer then nodded "Do you have any I.D. on you?" I quickly reached into my purse and pulled my wallet out which contained my driver's license. He checked it quickly before handing it back to me "Perfect. Right this way Miss Tate" he said as he walked towards the elevators. He pushed the button to open the elevator doors "Just push the button for the top floor."

"Thank you…?" I trailed off a little waiting for him to tell me his name.

"Jeffery."

"Thank you Jeffery." I then hit the button and rode the elevator up to the Penthouse suite.

And then there I was, standing in front of Eddie Duran's door, the faint sound of a piano rushing through the hinges. I took one more step towards it, lifted my fist and lightly knocked.

A few seconds later the door opened and there stood Eddie in a gray button down shirt rolled up to his elbows and a pair of dark blue jeans, both hugging his body perfectly. Still, it was his dark chocolate brown eyes that held my attention. "You made it" a genuine smile spread onto his lips as he stepped out of the doorway, letting me step inside.

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the overwhelming response in the last chapter! I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story and all of my concerns have been put to rest! This story officially has over 80 reviews, which is crazy! Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**How did everyone like tonight's episode of Hollywood Heights? I loved it! Even though there were only 2 Leddie scenes, they were adorable scenes! And I find it so funny that in the show everyone is hating on Eddie's new music and yet I LOVE the song One Day At A Time! If only Eddie were real, I'd support him! ;) **

**Anyway, enjoy your Friday tomorrow! Hopefully HH leaves us with a good cliffhanger for the weekend! I love the cliffhangers! And have a good weekend!**

**Until Sunday, stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	11. Vulnerability

"_Sometimes I feel like I'm alone_

_Sometimes I feel like I'm not that strong_

_Sometimes I feel so frail, so small_

_Sometimes I feel vulnerable_

_Sometimes I feel a little fragile"_

_-Fragile by Delta Goodrem_

After stepping into Eddie's apartment, I couldn't help my wandering eyes. His place was amazing. A large window overlooked the city of Los Angeles and was hidden behind, sheer, grey curtains. A brick staircase was to the right while a short hallway was to the left. However, what my eyes really focused on in both envy and admiration was a beautiful grand piano decorated with framed photographs, most of them containing Eddie and his parents.

Eddie quickly caught onto where my gaze had fixated. "It's the first thing I bought when I started making money" he said as he walked over to the bench and took a seat, patting the spot beside him.

"It's beautiful" I said awestruck as I took a seat and lightly ran my fingers tips over the ivory keys.

I could feel Eddie's eyes on me but my kept my focus on the piano, even as his voice rang out again "It's my second most prized possession."

Cracking a small, warm smile I asked "Second huh? What could possibly top it?"

He searched my eyes for a second before getting up and walking over the leather couch, picking up a picture frame from the table beside it. He then made his way back over to me, handing me the frame. It was a picture of Eddie and his mom Katy. She stood above him, her arms wrapped around his neck and both of them were smiling brightly into the camera.

"That's the last picture I ever took with her" He said, understanding washing over me. His most prized possession.

I gripped the edges of the frame a little tighter as I stared at the woman's face. She was truly beautiful. Her light, thick auburn hair framed her face and fell long past her shoulders in waves bringing out the gold specks in her warm, inviting eyes. And then there was her smile which was true and genuine, not holding back due to insecurity or self consciousness. She was happy and confident and her smile radiated that.

"Where was it taken?" I wondered aloud then quickly closed my eyes in embarrassment "I'm sorry, it's not my place to ask that."

Eddie smiled at me "It was taken at our beach bungalow, the weekend before the premiere for this teen movie that I did."

I nodded, recollection flooding through me "I know the one."

"I remember my mom walking right into Jake's office and telling him that I was taking the weekend off. She told him that she wasn't asking, and that he was to cancel any and all press junkets he had set up." Eddie's smile faltered dramatically "She knew my life was going to change after the premiere. That my career was going to take off."

My hand rested on his shoulder and I squeezed gently "She was a smart woman."

Eddie nodded slowly and then took a deep breath and waved the conversation away "Enough of the heavy" he exclaimed. "You just walked through the door." I dropped my hand, knowing the passing of the conversation was more for him than it was for me, but I had no intention of pressing him for information on his mother. "Do you want something to drink?" He stood before I could answer and walked away into the kitchen. About minutes later he came back out with two glasses of water.

"Thanks" I took the glass, took a small sip and then placed it on top of the piano after seeing Eddie do the same. "So, do you have ideas for a song?"

Eddie took his seat beside me once again "It's not ideas I'm lacking, I just can't seem to materialize any of them."

"Do you mind if I…" I gestured to the piano, silently asking if it was okay that I play it.

"Of course, go ahead" he replied readily.

I started to play a little, not really paying any attention to what I was playing but just letting the music ring out. "When I'm blocked creatively, I like to put away my laptop or notebook, which ever I'm writing with and just play and sing whatever pops into head. Sometimes it's silly, sometimes it doesn't make a shred of sense and sometimes I actually get something out of it."

Eddie nodded, taking in my words "You let it come organically."

I smiled at his sudden understanding "When I try to force the writing process it usually backfires on me." I played a few more notes before I started to hum and eventually I started to sing "_Don't turn it all around on me you froze the fire you burned the sea. I didn't take a chance on you to have trust simply fall through." _I stopped singing when words escaped me but continued to play and hum. Eventually words found me again. _"Don't turn it all around on me, you took the time to tell the lie now you wait for it to turn around, but don't you turn it all around on me."_

I played a few more notes before lifting my fingers from the piano and turning to Eddie who was smiling soundly "You make it look easy."

I let out a small laugh and shook my head "Try it."

After about an hour, Eddie and I had gotten nowhere in terms of writing an actual song but we had come up with a few fairly descent commercial jingles.

I was still laughing as Eddie, laughing as well, took my empty glass from me "Well, this has been productive."

I got up and followed him into the kitchen where he placed both glasses in the dishwasher "I think we got some Grammy material there."

Eddie simply shook his head at me, grinning brightly "Is your mom expecting you home at a certain time?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly in curiosity "No, she knows I'm here."

"Then do you want to stay for dinner? I was just going to order some takeout if that's okay."

I fought the grin that was trying to spread across my face "Sure."

We walked back into the living room, Eddie heading towards the couch and me following his direction. "So how was school?"

I rolled my eyes playfully "And here I thought not going home right after school meant avoiding that question for a day."

Eddie shrugged teasingly "It wouldn't be a school day without it."

"True." I let out a deep sigh "It was weird to be honest." He looked at me with intrigue "I got asked about you a lot. I guess some pictures of us hanging out yesterday got uploaded online so that was weird. And Cameron asked me out. That was weirder."

"What did you say?"

I allowed my elbow to rest on the back of the couch, with my arm bent and my head resting against the palm of my hand "About you or to Cameron?"

"Both?" Eddie flashed a small smile with just the corners of his lips turning upwards as he quickly shrugged his nonchalance but a small wash of validity ran across his chocolate orbs that were staring into mine.

I allowed the hand currently holding my head to push my hair back and away from my face. "Well, I told everyone that you and I were just friends and I told Cameron that I would think about it." My hand returned to its previous position, supporting my head as I shifted my gaze downward "I don't know if that was the right thing to do though" I added, my voice dropping to a hushed tone as if the words were a kept secret.

Eddie reached his hand towards the one of mine that was currently resting on my lap. With my hand in his I felt the expectancy to look up and meet his eyes but when I did I saw that his gaze was instead focused on our hands, his thumb moving back and forth in a windshield wiper motion across the back of it. "You don't let this side of you show very often" his gaze remained fixated on our hands as I stared into his face, his lips set in a line, his jaw secure.

Slowly, with his head still lowered he lifted his eyes to meet mine through a thick curtain of dark lashes "What do you mean?" That same hushed tone rang out, just audible in the silence coveting the apartment.

"Your vulnerability" his head lifted as he spoke. "Usually, even if you're opening up about something you stay strong. You don't really let your emotions show."

"Is that a bad thing?" My eyes searched him for an answer before he spoke.

Eddie shook his head "No, it's just who are. You let it show yesterday too, when you were talking about your dad."

I allowed the hand currently supporting my head to drop back to the back of the couch, my fingers lightly drumming the soft leather "I've never had a guy show interest in me like Cameron does and a part of me wants to give him a chance but another part of me is screaming for me to walk away."

A smile flashed onto Eddie's face but soon dropped "Who knew we were so much alike."

"What do you mean?"

Eddie squeezed my hand gently "We're both afraid of getting hurt, of letting someone close enough to hurt us."

"I think that's a fairly new development for you" I countered.

"It is" he agreed "it's especially strong around you though." I didn't know what to say to that so opted out of replying at all. "I know that sometimes, your head can seem louder than your heart but I guarantee your heart gives better advice. I for example, would never normally have sat down next to a fan on a dark hill but for some reason I did. I think that turned out pretty well."

"Is that advice from the same guy who only a week ago advised me to never fall in love?" I couldn't help the teasing edge in my voice.

Eddie cracked a smile "I was in a dark place then but a friend helped me through it."

I smiled knowingly. "So it's not so dark anymore?" I asked softly, staring back down at our hands.

I saw him shake his head slowly in my peripheral vision. "It's just dim."

I lifted my eyes, meeting his in a stare, neither of us frowning but not exactly smiling. "I am afraid of getting hurt" I admitted "but that's not why I'm skeptical of Cam. I just don't think I see him as more than a friend but at the same time, I'm afraid of hurting him."

"You said yourself that you two don't really know each other" he reminded me, attempting to ease my reeling mind.

"That's what I told him and he said that we should rectify that." I took a deep breath, allowing the gentle caress of Eddie's hand on mine to relax me. "Does it make me horrible person if I don't give him a chance?"

Eddie chuckled lightly "The fact that you even think that, proves that you're a good person Loren, you're concerned with other people's feelings which is good but that doesn't mean that you should discount your own. Is there any part of you that feels like you could feel more for him?"

Taking a long look into Eddie's eyes gave me an answer instantaneously. It wasn't fair to Cameron or anyone for me to compare them to Eddie, and up until a week ago that comparison would have been based upon fantasy but now it was so deep into reality that fantasy and dream state could no longer compare. I could stay in this moment forever and remain blissfully happy. Until I shook this crush, I couldn't give anyone a chance. My heart wasn't going to let me.

"I want to" I confessed and it was the truth. Falling for Cameron would be easy, simple even. We would date until September and then more than likely part ways for college or maybe we'd keep in touch, try the long distance thing for a month or so and then give up and remain friends. The kind of friends who like each other's Facebook statuses from time to time and send each other a Christmas card. But of course, I had to make things complicated. "But I just don't."

Eddie scooted closer to me our knees now touching and he brought our hands onto his lap. "Then why are you so conflicted? If you don't like him as more than a friend tell him that. Don't feel guilty for feeling how you feel. You can't control that."

I let out a short breath that sounded a little like a laugh "A guy finally takes interest in me and I feel nothing."

Eddie wrapped both of his hands around my one "It was just the wrong guy." He held my hand in one of his while the other traced patterns on my palm "Or you're just too picky." I could hear the teasing nature in his voice and when I looked up I could see it on his face. I playfully hit his shoulder just as there was a knock on the apartment door. Eddie was laughing as he rubbed his shoulder and walked over to the door. "Hey" I heard him say, but I couldn't see who was there from the couch.

"Hey man" the voice I recognized and my assumptions were assured when Jake Madsen pushed past Eddie and made his way into the apartment. "Something just came up and I need to go over it with you as soon as poss-" he stopped as soon as he saw me.

Immediately I stood and walked over to Jake, who was standing in front of the piano "Hello."

"Hi." Jake was short with me and possibly a little annoyed by my presence "Loren, right?"

At least he remembered that much. "Yeah, it's nice to see you again Jake."

Eddie walked back over to me, taking his stance beside me as he crossed his arms over his chest, his attention on Jake "So what's up?"

Jake looked between the two of us, making it blatantly clear that my presence was not appreciated. I walked over to the piano, grabbing my purse from on top of it "I'll go, obviously you two need to talk." I tried my best to sound bright but I feared that the disappointment due to my time with Eddie being cut short was tragically transparent.

Eddie walked over to me and slid my purse off of my shoulder "Don't let Jake scare you off" he said playfully as he shot Jake a look. "His bark is worse than his bite." I smiled and watched as Eddie placed my purse back on the piano before he turned back to Jake completely "So...?"

Jake gestured towards the couch where we all moved to take a seat. Eddie sat up on the arm of the couch beside me to the right while Jake sat on the couch to my left. I turned my body to face Jake, Eddie doing the same. "Two things; one, how do you feel about attending a movie premiere mid next week and two, how do you feel about performing at a televised celebrity charity concert in June?"

Jake was so business like with it all, like it was no big deal, just a Hollywood premiere, just a televised celebrity charity concert, like it happens all of the time. Talk about different worlds.

I could feel Eddie shift a little in his seat "It's kind of short notice for the premiere isn't it?"

Very nonchalantly, Jake shrugged, "They got in touch with me a while ago but we were still on tour and I didn't want you to commit to anything right away and then the thing with Chloe happened and I just kept putting it off."

Eddie looked genuinely surprised "That does not sound like you."

Jake simply laughed. Who knew he had it in him? "Yeah, well I'm coming to you now. They need an answer today to secure the VIP guest list. What's it going to be?"

Eddie smiled "Sure."

Jake clapped his hands together once, obviously pleased with Eddie's answer "Great and what about the charity concert?"

"Always" Eddie replied, with a short nod.

Quickly, Jake pulled out his phone and began to dial a number as he stood from the couch and walked towards the window for a little privacy.

I moved over so that Eddie could slide onto couch beside me "Sounds like you've got some fun stuff coming up."

With a simple shrug and sweet smile Eddie turned to face me more directly "Just more work."

I shook my head, "Oh sure, just more work. That's not work that's the glitz and glam life of a rock star." I teasingly pointed my finger at him "Don't even try to tell me you don't love it."

Eddie grabbed my finger, pulling it away from his face with a laugh "It's not the worst part of the job."

"Eduardo," Jake called out, causing Eddie to turn around instantly. "They need the name of a plus one for the premiere? Maybe your dad or Ian," Jake offered quickly.

"Or…" Eddie whipped his head back around so that his eyes met mine "Loren, have you ever been to a movie premiere?"

Instantly, my eyes widened and all emotion was wiped from my features "Are…are you serious?"

Eddie laughed at my obvious state of shock "Yeah. And besides my dad's been to hundreds of premieres, he's probably over them by now and my friend Ian's in South America and I'd honestly love it if you came with me."

I couldn't help it. My smile broke through the shock and I nodded a little too enthusiastically.

Jake eyed us both "You sure that's a good idea man? I mean with the amount of media attention you two have been getting lately?"

Eddie waved Jake off "It'll be great, and besides it'll give us a chance to squash the dating rumors. Plus, I get the privilege of having a beautiful woman on my arm for the evening." My smile simply grew at his words.

Nodding, Jake turned back around to stare out the window and return to his phone conversation. Soon, he hung up and returned to the couch, this time sitting up on the arm of the couch like Eddie had done before. "It's done, I'll make sure to let Helen know that you need a new suit for the premiere and-" Jake leaned forward a little so that he could see me and meet my eyes "you need to make sure you have something descent to wear. This is a high profile movie, which means everyone will be decked out in their best. No Wal-Mart sale rack dresses, you got it?"

To say I was taken back and insulted would be putting it lightly but before I could speak up and defend myself Eddie's voice was already filling the silence "Really Jake?" Eddie did not sound impressed.

Holding up his hands in defense Jake continued and verbally defended himself as well "I'm just saying she needs to look the part."

With a bit of sass, of which I knew Mel would have approved of, I snapped my fingers "Darn it, you mean that brown potato sack I've been saving for special occasion isn't going to cut it?"

With a prideful smile Eddie turned to Jake "Don't dish it if you can't take it Jake."

Smiling with approval, Jake extended a hand towards me "Touché." I shook his hand.

Half an hour later, Jake had left and Eddie and I were sitting on his floor in front of the couch eating Chinese out of the cartons. "So out of curiosity," I began, growing a little self-conscious "what should I wear to the premiere?"

Placing his food on the table, Eddie sighed "Don't let Jake get to you, he's an idiot sometimes when it comes to any social skills, non-business related."

I too placed my food on the table and shifted my body so that I was facing Eddie more directly "I won't argue that" I admitted, receiving a smile from Eddie. "But, seriously, what should I wear? I've never been to a premiere. Short dress, long dress, heels, flats, boots? What?"

Eddie looked at me like I was speaking another language and used his thumb to point back to the apartment door "You heard Jake right? He's getting my stylist Helen to pick up a suit for me. I know nothing about fashion. I'm a jeans a t-shirt kind of guy."

Unpleased with his answer, I resorted to the sass once again "So the potato sack will work after all?"

Sensing my sarcasm Eddie shifted his body to face me more "Wear whatever you feel comfortable with. I'm sure your Mom and Mel can help you pick something out and don't worry about it too much, okay? It's just for one night."

I picked the food up from the table and lowered my head shyly "Is it totally lame that I'm this excited?"

Eddie laughed but shook his head "No, I grew up with it all, you know? For me it's completely normal but it's still exciting, so I get it."

I took a sip of my soda and then leaned against the couch "Have you ever thought about doing more films?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

Eddie seemed a little surprised by the question and took time to consider it. "Maybe, if I get a hold of a script I really love and it didn't take time away from my music. But I'm not actively looking for film work."

"The music's where your heart's at" I concluded.

He seemed pleased with my understanding "Exactly."

Taking another sip of my soda I slipped into silence for a minute "What if there was no music?" The words I spoke I said more to myself then to Eddie.

"What?"

I quickly scrambled to my feet and made my way to his piano "I think I got an idea for a song." Eddie followed me and took a seat beside me on the piano bench. Then, music filled the room.

**Hey everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are preparing yourselves for yet another epic week off Hollywood Heights this week! I'm so excited! We better get an "I love you" from Eddie. That's all I have to say about that, lol.**

**Anyway, if you guys know of any good songs that remind you of Leddie or of Hollywood Heights in general please let me know! I'm making a playlist for when I write the story and need some good songs!**

**Until Thursday (possibly sooner), stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	12. The First Call

"_I'm in the race but I've already won_

_And getting there can be half the fun,__  
So don't stop me 'till I'm good and done,_

_Don't you try to rain on my perfect day."_

_-Perfect Day by Hoku_

"Loren!"

The sound of my mom's pounding fist against my bedroom door caused me to jump halfway out of my skin and lose control of the hand that was applying my mascara; thus, I poked myself in the eye with the mascara wand. After quickly grabbing a tissue and pressing it to my now closed and watering eye, I made my way over to the door and swung it open "Good morning to you too" I said as the sarcasm dripped from my lips.

Holding up a large white envelope, my mother's face remained stone and serious with a tint of panic and anticipation dancing across her eyes. "It came."

She extended her arm, bringing the envelope closer to me and I took it slowly, wondering what she meant. After throwing the tissue away my eyes slowly traveled down and took in the words on the front of the envelope "It's from Brown."

Nodding, Mom made her way to sit down on the edge of my bed "Aren't you going to open it?" She asked as my eyes remained fixated and the rest of my body remained perfectly still.

I made my way over the bed, sitting down beside her and began to tear the letter open. Once I had a frail piece of paper in hand, my eyes scanned the words in perfect font in black and white. "I got in" I was surprised that my voice hadn't failed me.

She jumped up off the bed, letting out scream of excitement "I'm so proud of you!" Her long arms encircled me and she held me to her tightly.

I hugged her back and then slowly pulled away, the shock erased from my face and a giant smile invading it instead "I can't believe this!"

Cupping my face, Mom forced me to look into her eyes "I can! You worked so hard honey; they would have been crazy not to accept you!" She shook her head, still in a bit of obvious disbelief "You got into your first choice college, do you know how hard that is to do?"

I rested my hands on top of hers "Does this mean we can have pecan pie for dessert tonight?"

Mom laughed through the happy tears building in her eyes "And Lasagna for dinner and you can invite whomever you want over tonight. Tonight we're celebrating!" She pulled me into another hug "I am so proud of you baby girl, so proud."

We pulled away after a few seconds and I glanced quickly at my alarm clock to check the time, I still had an hour before I had to leave for school but there was something I wanted to do beforehand. "Mom, can I take your car today?"

Looking at me through curious eyes she nodded "Sure, can Mel not drive you today?"

"No she can but there's something I want to do before school, is it okay if I head out now?"

Because of today's good news I knew that Mom was going to go out of her way to keep the day on a positive note. "Of course, the keys are in my purse on the kitchen counter." Reaching up onto my toes, I quickly pecked her cheek and grabbed my things before running out of the room.

In the kitchen, Adriana was flipping through a magazine and eating a bowl of fruit while Don chatted away frivolously on his phone. I reached across the counter and grabbed Mom's purse, dug through it and pulled out the keys. Then waved a quick goodbye to Mom and ran out of the house.

As I walked into the apartment building, the excitement rushing through me pulsated and I realized how strange it was that Eddie was my first call. Not even call, I could have called but instead I rushed out of the house on a school morning so that I could tell him in person. And the strangest part was that it didn't feel so strange.

"Miss Tate!" Jeffery, the doorman smiled brightly as he walked out from behind the desk. "How are you this morning?"

"Hi Jeffery" I replied, returning his smile. "I'm great thank you, is Eddie still here?"

Jeffery clasped his hands together "Yes ma'am he is, is he expecting you?"

It hadn't dawned on me that I may need an invite every time I come here "No, actually he's not."

"Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate the surprise" Jeffery replied as he walked over to the elevators and pushed the button for me. "Enjoy your visit Miss Tate" he said as the elevator doors opened and I stepped inside.

"Thank you Jeffery."

When I reached Eddie's floor I stepped off and walked directly to his door, letting my clenched fist lightly tap the door. However, to my surprise it wasn't Eddie who answered. "Hey there Loren" Max greeted me.

Behind him about half a dozen people were running around the apartment with cameras and expensive looking equipment. I realized, then, that I should have called. "Hi Max, I'm sorry to interrupt, I didn't know there was something going on this morning. I'll just call Eddie later."

I made to turn around and head back to the elevator but Max's voice pulled me back "Loren, don't be silly. Come on in. I think Eddie would like to see a friendly face."

Max stepped to the side as he widened the door making room for me to enter. "I don't want to get in the way" I replied as I entered the apartment.

Max waved off my insecurity "Trust me, Eddie will be happy to see you. He hates interviews and I think this one is particular is going to be very focused on his personal life, which he hates even more. He could use a friend." Then, someone called Max's name from inside the kitchen "Excuse me for a moment and make yourself comfortable."

Then I was by myself. I placed my purse on the piano and looked around. Eddie was behind the couch talking closely with Jake while a woman I recognized, Lily Park, was talking to a camera man. After a few minutes of standing around, painfully out of place, Eddie spotted me and excused himself from Jake's company.

I took comfort in the fact that Eddie was smiling and looked honestly happy to see me and not the least bit upset. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled me into a hug.

I relaxed into his arms for a moment, my heart soaring, before we pulled away. "I'm so sorry to intrude" I said, completely disregarding his question.

Shaking his head, Eddie crossed his arms over his chest "You're not, you're always welcome here. I'm just surprised to see you. Don't you have school today?"

"I do but I got some news today, and" I shrugged shyly "I don't know. I wanted to tell you."

A warm smile spread onto Eddie's lips "Good news I hope?"

Biting my lip, I nodded "Really good news actually" I admitted as my hung my head and played with the sleeve of my jean jacket.

Eddie pulled the piano bench out and sat, gesturing for me to do the same. "What is it?"

I reached up to grab my purse and pulled out the folded letter, handing it to Eddie. With his eyebrows slightly pulled together, he took it, unfolded it and began to read. After a second he looked up from the letter, his eyebrows then rose in pleasant surprise and then slowly and large grin spread onto his lips "You got into Brown?"

With a small shrug and a radiating smile I nodded "I got into Brown."

Eddie let out a small, happy laugh as his arms wrapped around me once more "Loren, that's amazing, congratulations!" And I couldn't help myself; I allowed my body to melt into his, my arms around his neck, my chin rested on his shoulder. His excitement fed my own. "I am so proud of you" his breath on my ear sent shivers down my spine to the end of my toes.

Pulling away from him was almost physically painful but the sparkle in his eye when it met mine eased that pain. "Thanks. And again I hope I didn't intrude" I said as I looked around the room, many of the stranger's eyes were on us, including Lily's.

"Hey," his voice pulled my attention back to him and I met his gaze once again "you're always welcome here okay? You're far more welcome then most of the people in this room" he confessed in a hushed tone. "You must be so stoked."

A smile once again found its way onto my lips "Yeah, I've been dreaming about Brown since middle school. It's kind of surreal."

Eddie nodded, clearly understanding the idea of surrealism. He was after all, living his dreams of rock stardom. "Well, I'm honored that you wanted to share the news with me. It means a lot" and I could tell he meant it.

"So," I gestured around the apartment "what's going on here?"

Eddie let out a deep sigh, mixed with a heavy groan "An interview, the label set up. They wanted a post first world tour exclusive."

I narrowed my eyes knowingly "You don't sound too thrilled about that."

A simple shake of his head was his response "Nope. I know Lily and I know that she's far more interested in my personal life than she is in my professional life. I'll be surprised if twenty percent of her questions are related to the tour."

My gaze quickly shifted to Lily who was talking to whom I could only assume was a colleague, but her eyes were still focused on us. I retracted my gaze from her and place it on Eddie once again "She sounds lovely."

Eddie let out a small laugh "What time does school start? Do you have time to stick around for the interview?"

I quickly checked my phone for the time which was 7:33 and school started at 8:00. "How long will the interview take?"

Eddie shrugged "I'm not sure, kind of depends of Lily's questions and how many she has."

Scanning my brain I knew I had pre-calc first period but I also knew we were just going to go over the exam we had taken last week, an exam I knew I had done well on so I figured I could afford to miss one class. If I missed anything crucial I could just borrow Mel's notes. "I'll stick around."

Eddie seemed surprised, but pleasantly so "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're not doing much first period and besides, I've already been accepted into college" I tossed my hair over my shoulder dramatically and earned a laugh from Eddie.

"Alright, well can I get you anything, something to drink?"

I shook my head "I'm good, but thanks."

"Eddie, we need you over here man, we're ready to begin "Jake called from the couch.

Eddie gave Jake a quick nod and then stood and turned to me "Duty calls" he said with a roll of his eyes. "If you want anything don't be shy to invade the kitchen. Dad and Jake do it all the time."

"Noted" Eddie smiled and then made his way over to the couch where some began to thread a wire through his shirt and the camera man took his place behind the camera.

"Fun stuff, huh?" I looked up to see Max standing beside the piano, a glass of water in one hand and a bagel in the other.

I smiled up at him and then glanced back towards Eddie and Lily "Oh yeah, Eddie looks delighted" I replied sarcastically as I noticed Eddie's tight lined lips. I glanced back up at Max and scooted over on the bench and patted the spot next to me "Here, sit down."

Max had just taken a bite of his bagel but smiled appreciatively as he took a seat.

Then someone began to call out to everyone in the room. "Everyone please turn your cell phones off, we're taping in one minute!" Max and I both reached for our phones, and turned them off.

Fifty seconds later, the man began to count down from ten to one before giving Lily the queue to begin.

"Hello everyone, Lily Park here coming to you from the apartment of rock star Eddie Duran" Lily turned her attention from the camera to Eddie "thanks for having us Eddie."

Eddie smiled as genuinely as he could but I could see through it. I knew Max could too. "No problem Lily."

Lily turned her body, allowing herself to fully engage in the conversation while Eddie's body remained straight ahead, only his head turning to give attention to the reporter. "So, you're fresh off your first world tour, which was completely sold out may I mention and so now the question on everyone's minds is, when is the new album coming? Have you started it?"

Eddie shifted in his seat a little, obviously reeling in anticipation for a question he was going to dread "After touring for so long, I was a little burned out and took some time to rest and relax but in the past few days the spark has come back a little. There's one song that's done that I think will definitely make it onto the new album."

Lily smiled, happy to be getting something out of him "What can you tell us about it?"

Shaking his head, Eddie narrowed his eyes a little "You know I can't say anything this soon Lil."

She didn't seem to like the answer overly much "You can't even give us a title?"

Leaning back into the couch a little, Eddie draped his arm on the back "I can tell you that it's the first song that I've ever co-written."

"Co-written" Lily seemed interested in that admittance, as did everyone else in the room.

Eddie nodded "Mhmm, I've always written my stuff on my own but in the past few weeks a lot happened and the music just wasn't coming to me so a friend sat down with me and we bounced a few ideas around. We came up with something that I think the fans are going to love."

"You mentioned that a lot has happened in the last few weeks" Lily began and I knew what was coming next. So could Eddie from the tense look on his face. "Obviously you returned from tour and were settling back into your life but on top of that you and your fiancée Chloe Carter split. How have you been dealing with that?"

I gave Eddie a reassuring smile when his gaze met mine and he quickly turned his attention back to Lily "I'd rather keep the questions professional today, Lily."

She did not look happy about that. "You're going to have to talk about it sooner or later" she countered. "And I think the fans are genuinely concerned about you."

"Well, I'm doing fine. Everything happens for a reason and so I'm not dwelling on anything. I'm moving forward with my life."

"Yes, I can see that" Lily's gaze met mine. Oh crap. "Recently, pictures of you and a pretty young brunette have surfaced. What's the story with that?"

Eddie sighed openly, obviously frustrated with Lily's blatant disregard for anyone but herself "Again, I'd like to keep this professional Lily."

Lily held her hands up in defense "You can't blame me or anyone else for being curious. Especially since the young lady in question happens to be here today." Lily signaled the camera to turn and focus on me for a minute.

I had never been so still in my life. Considering I was best friends with Melissa you would think having a camera on me wouldn't make me so shy but apparently that assumption was very wrong.

The camera quickly turned back to Lily and Eddie, Lily with a successful smile on her red lips and Eddie shooting me an apologetic glance. I simply shrugged his worry off, letting him know that I was fine.

"So tell us Eddie, what's the story with you and…Loren, I believe her name is?"

Eddie took a deep breath "She's a really good friend of mine."

"Is she just a friend" Lily pushed.

"She's one my best friends" Eddie replied, which touched me more than I thought it would. "There's nothing romantic about it." And that hurt me more than I thought it would. "I'm not looking for anything romantic right now. I just need to surround myself with good people, namely my friends and family."

Lily seemed greatly disappointed by Eddie's answer but pushed forward "Do you think you'll ever fall in love again?"

Eddie considered the question, he had obviously given up trying to steer the conversation. Lily refused to let go of the reins. "I hope so."

Lily smiled, finally happy with an answer "Is there any chance for you and Chloe to reconcile? You two were the golden couple of Hollywood for over a year. Is that relationship over for good?"

"Yes" Eddie replied quickly. "Chloe and I are over for good. For now, I'm focusing on the new album and the great opportunities that are coming at me."

"Glad to hear you staying positive." Lily's smile was etched onto her face, almost like it wasn't really there, like she wanted the drama and the scandal. "So what was your overall feel of the world tour? Did you have fun?"

Eddie relaxed a little, obviously relieved "Tour was amazing. The fans were incredible and energetic and made every night feel like the best night. I miss it now but I'm excited to get back in the studio, release new music and then tour with that, so I'll go back out within the next year or so."

"Well we're glad to hear it!" Lily then turned to the camera "That's all the time I have with Eddie but I'll be seeing him again next week at the premiere of Too Far Gone, so tweet me your questions and I just may choose it to ask Eddie." Lily turned back to Eddie. "Thanks again for talking to me."

"My pleasure" Eddie replied.

And then someone called "Cut!"

Beside me, I hear Max let out a hefty sigh "You okay Loren?"

I turned my head to face him, he looked concerned and I assumed it had to do with Lily and her putting me on camera "I'm fine" I assured him.

Max searched my face for any hesitation but then nodded when he found none "Alright, I'm sorry Lily brought you into all of that." I smiled my gratitude before he got up and walked over to Eddie and Jake who looked just as displeased with Lily as Max did which was to be expected.

What I didn't expect was the sight of Lily Park making her way over to me "Loren, right?"

I nodded cautiously "And you're Lily. I love your show." Truth is I had seen her show but I found her interviews a little aggressive, especially where Eddie was concerned. He always seemed uncomfortable while talking to her. Therefore, I wasn't a fan but I wasn't going to tell her that.

Lily smiled upon the compliment "Well aren't you a sweetheart. And best friends with Eddie Duran. You're quite a lucky girl. Is there really nothing romantic going on between the two of you?"

Great now she was pestering me for details "Off the record?"

Her bright red lips tightened into a smirk "Off the record" she agreed.

"We're just friends" I told her as I watched her smirk flatten a little.

"I don't believe that" she confessed. "Two good looking people like yourselves can't just be friends, there has to be some sort of attraction. I've been doing my job for a long time and I know that boy/girl celebrity friendships always turn into something more."

"But I'm not a celebrity" I countered, holding my own against her.

Lily tilted her head slightly "Oh, sweetheart, that's simply not true. Eddie Duran just publically called you his best friend. You are now famous by association. Every Eddie Duran fan will know your name by tomorrow morning if they don't already." Then her name was called from the other side of the room "Excuse me" and with that she walked away.

After a minute I caught sight of Eddie making his way over to me "How badly did Lily grill you?" Eddie asked, his tone a little annoyed and unimpressed.

"Not too badly, she just had me confirm that we were just friends."

"She's kind of relentless and she's a friend of Chloe's so I'm sure she's supposed to deliver a full report back."

That was news to me "Lily and Chloe are friends?" Eddie nodded. "Why does that seem so fitting?"

I saw Eddie grin at my words from the corner of my eye "They are kind of perfect for each other aren't they?"

I returned the grin "So I'm your best friend, huh?"

Eddie laughed at my attempt to change the topic "Well, you're one of my only friends so the best part, is kind of by default."

"Oh, really" I attempted to seem a little insulted. "Well then, if I'm only a default best friend maybe I won't invite you over for dinner tonight to celebrate my acceptance into Brown."

"You're inviting me over?" Eddie's voice was softer than usual, almost like he was flattered and surprised.

"Do you want to come? Mom said I can invite whoever I wanted and I'd like you there" I got a little shy admitting that to him but he allowed the inhibitions to be tossed aside as he took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze "I'd love to. After this, I'm free for the day so just let me know a time."

My smile could not be contained Dinner's usually around 6:30, is that okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

Before I could respond Max was in front of us, his impatience for Lily incredibly reflective "That woman is infuriating."

Eddie bit back a laugh "What did she do now Pop?"

Max glanced between Eddie and me quickly "She was asking Jake and I questions about the two of you. I told her that my son's personal life is not my business let alone hers and of course she took that as me hiding something. Now, I'm going to go grab another bagel so that I can stuff it in my face every time she walks up to me, excuse me" and with that Max retreated into the kitchen.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me when Max made his exit "Does he have that strong of an opinion on everyone?"

Eddie shrugged "Pops is very blunt with how he feels about someone. If he likes you, you know it, if he doesn't, you really know it."

I let out another laugh as I turned my phone back on and checked the time. "I should get going, if I leave now I'll be able to get to school before the bell for second period."

Eddie nodded as he stood and led me to the door. We both noticed Lily's eyes on us, staring and analyzing so Eddie walked out of the apartment with me, closing the door behind us. "I'm glad you came by."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah" Eddie leaned against the wall beside his apartment door and shot me a sweet smile. "I like having you around."

It was phrases like that that messed with my head. Eddie liked having me around, as a friend. That's what I was to him and yet with every touch of his hand, with every hug and smile and greeting, my heart sang. I was treading in deep water and while my head was screaming at me to swim back to shore, where I could place my feet firmly on the ground, my heart was telling me to sink; to allow myself to be consumed with the feeling and emerge myself in it. The only problem with that is, once my head delved under the water with my heart, it became possible to drown.

I didn't reply. I couldn't. But I smiled. It was sweet and it was genuine, "I'll see you tonight." And so I turned and walked to the elevator. The feeling of Eddie's gaze burned into the back of my head and didn't subside until I stepped in the elevator, turned around and met his eyes once more before the elevator doors closed.

When I made it to school, I had just under a minute before the bell for second period was going to ring. I transferred books to and from my locker before making my way to my pre-calc classroom door and waited patiently for the bell to ring. Once it did, the classroom door opened and the class began to file out.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other in anticipation until Mel came into view and I grabbed her arm pulling her in front of me. "Whoa, where'd you come from? And where have you been? You're never late for class. And the text you sent me this morning was very cryptic."

Letting out a puff of air I explained "I know but I got caught up at Eddie's this morning. What did I miss?"

Mel stared at me blankly for a second. "I'm sorry you were with Eddie this morning?"

"Yeah, I went over there to tell him something and he was doing this interview which I stayed for and it just set my whole morning back. Do I need to borrow your notes for anything?"

Again Mel's face resembled a blank canvas "How are you so nonchalant about this?"

"What?"

"Wha-" Mel bit back her words as she shook her head "Anyway, what did you go there to tell him? It had to have been big if you couldn't wait until after school."

As I answered Mel's question we began making our way to English. "I got into Brown."

Mel held her arm out, stopping me mid-step and stalling the students behind us who let out groans of frustration. Slowly she turned her body towards me, a vibrant smile reaching across her lips and what looked like tears building in her eyes "You got into Brown?" Her question was asked slowly, cautiously.

I confirmed with a simple nod.

"Oh my god!" Mel, as always, felt no need to contain her excitement as she leapt at me, flinging her arms around me tightly. "That's amazing! Congratulations!"

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as I returned her hug "Thank you."

Then suddenly, she pulled away, her smile forgotten "Wait a minute. You told Eddie before you told me?"

"It wasn't like that" I assured her. "I knew I would see you at school and besides, I wanted to invite Eddie over for dinner. Mom wants to celebrate tonight."

Mel crossed her arms, a serious yet teasing look on her face "Am I invited?"

"Of course you are!" I took hold of both of her hands, forcing her arms to untangle. "I need you there."

Mel slowly allowed a sly smile to invade her lips "So you went back to Eddie's place, huh?"

Dropping her hands, I rolled my eyes at her obvious assumption "Like I said Mel, he was doing an interview. The apartment was full of people. Not just Eddie and I."

"But he took time to talk to you one on one?" Mel couldn't wipe the assuming smile on his face.

"He also told Lily Park that he and I were just friends, and that there was absolutely nothing romantic going on between us during the interview. And besides, that's exactly what we are, friends."

Mel stared into my eyes for a moment before shaking her head "Nope, I'm not buying it. You two spend way too much time together to be just friends. _And_ he invited you to that premiere next week? No way, that boy is smitten, whether he wants to admit it or not."

Impatiently, I pushed Mel along so that we wouldn't be late for class "We're just friends, stop it."

Mel let out a sarcastic snort as we entered the classroom. "I give it a month."

**Yay! Update before Thursday! Don't you love it when I don't have to cover everyone else's shifts at work? I sure do. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please review! I'm almost at 100 reviews! Think we can get it there before I post on Thursday? I'd be so grateful!**

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	13. Two Worlds Collide

"_She was scared, unprepared and lost in the dark, falling apart._

_I can survive with you by my side __we're gonna be alright._

_This is what happens when two worlds collide."_

_-Two Worlds Collide by Demi Lovato_

I used to concern myself with trivial things like how others would perceive me and what they thought of me but eventually I grew to realize that other people's opinions of me were just that, other people's opinions. I knew that I was a good person, that I was conscious of my actions and that I took responsibly for them when I took a misstep. I also knew I wasn't perfect and that missteps and mistakes were a part of life, but they weren't to be dreaded or hid but rather embraced. Without mistakes, you don't learn right from wrong. So, regardless of what other's thought of me, I knew who I was and I was proud of that person. I never thought I would back track and concern myself with other's opinions again. Then I was invited to a Hollywood movie premiere with one of the world's biggest music stars. Suddenly, other people's opinions became the most prominent in my mind.

The days leading up to the premiere had been exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. On the day I had been accepted into Brown, Eddie, Mel and Adam had come over for dinner. Adriana, as usual, sat slumped over in her chair the entire time, her arms crossed and disengaged, except for whenever Eddie spoke of course. And Don, surprisingly enough, smiled and joined in conversation, his work forgotten for the night. It was weird. A little creepy too, but maybe that's because I wasn't used to Don smiling.

Everyone praised Mom on dinner, and later dessert. Her pecan pie was always a hit. I even went in for a second slice, everyone but Adriana following my lead.

After dinner, Mom and Don announced that they had a surprise for me, something to congratulate me on my hard work and dedication. They handed me a small box, and inside was a key, a car key. They had bought me a car. It was a brand new black Honda Civic, Don's doing I'm sure. Mom let me take it for a drive, Eddie sat shot gun while Mel and Adam sat together in the back seat.

For the rest of the week, I was the one picking Mel up for school. Her poor car Sonny was seeing the last of his days and now that I had a car, it didn't seem wise to trust the old boy to get us to and from school every day.

By the time the weekend had rolled around, I had torn through my closet about six times in attempt to find something suitable to wear to the premiere but nothing I owned seemed fancy enough for a red carpet event. It was Saturday morning when both my mom and Mel, who had stayed over, informed me that they were taking me shopping. Apparently they knew my closet better than I did and knew in advance that I had nothing I could wear.

And all of that led to this. It was Tuesday night, the night of the premiere, as I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, taking in my reflection. The teal BCBG Max Azria dress Mom and Mel had insisted upon, hugged my body perfectly. The dress fell just above my knees, and sported a single strap over the right shoulder giving it an asymmetrical neckline. However, what had sold me on the dress was the draped detail on the bodice and wrap style of the skirt. Mom had pinned my naturally curly hair up, leaving it loose and effortless but classy and Mel had applied my makeup, giving my eyes a smoky effect. It was more than I was used to but for the occasion I think it fit. The last thing I did was slip my feet into a pair of gold strappy heels; Mel pushed for a six inch heel, Mom for a flat. I settled on a four inch, tall enough for the heel to be noticeable, not tall enough to cause me to fall flat on my face.

When the door bell rang I grabbed my clutch off of my bed and left my room. I made my way to the front door, pulling it open slowly and allowing a bright smile to appear on my face at the sight of Eddie in a black suit and tie, looking incredibly handsome. "Well don't you look dapper?"

Eddie shook his head, a small smile on his lips "Compared to you? You look amazing Loren."

"I still say I should have gone for that potato sack I threatened Jake with. It would have gone great with these shoes" I teased as I stepped out of the house, bringing the door to a close. I was relieved that Mom had kept her promise and not run to the door as we were leaving, camera in hand, begging for pictures. Tonight, I wasn't a high school girl from the valley. Tonight I was Eddie Duran's date. Sort of.

Eddie opened the back door to the black SUV parked outside of my house and helped me inside before climbing in behind me. Jake was already in the car, along with two women, neither of whom I recognized.

Eddie gestured towards the women in question "Loren this is Kelly" he said about the one with the heavy eye makeup and black attire "and this is Sarah" he said about the blonde wearing the canary yellow dress. "Kelly is a junior manager at Jake's company and Sarah is my publicist."

With the introductions out of the way I gave them both a small wave "Nice to meet you both."

They both smiled in agreement as Jake's commanding voice overtook the conversation "Alright Loren, I just want to walk you through a few things before we arrive at the premiere okay?" I gave a slow nod, growing slightly intimidated but relaxed as soon as Eddie's hand rested on top of mine. "When we get there, Eddie is going to be rushed from interview to interview and he'll be needed for photo ops on the carpet as well. During that time, I need you to stick by Kelly. When it comes time for you to go inside, you stick by Eddie." Jake pointed to himself, Kelly and Sarah "The three of us aren't going inside for the actual premiere."

"Understood," I replied, the nerves surfacing once again.

Jake's business demeanor faded slightly as a calming smile crept onto his lips "And have fun. You're entering a brand new world tonight." Talk about an understatement.

The rest of the car ride commenced in silence. Sarah reminded me a lot of Adriana in the way her eyes remained on her phone the entire time, sending and receiving messages. Through the rearview mirror I saw that Kelly had her head against the headrest, her eyes closed but in the upright position in which she sat, I could tell she was awake. Jake, like Sarah was occupied by his phone and Eddie was staring out the window. His eyes lost in the city lights, his mind far away as his thumb caressed the back of my hand.

And me, I felt a little out of place. Even now, in the calmest part of the night I felt like I didn't belong and judging by Jake's words, he believed it too. I was entering a whole new world tonight, a world I knew nothing about, a world I had simply stumbled into by walking up into the hills one night a few weeks back. I was a valley girl, I was no one special. But here I was driving up on Hollywood Boulevard towards the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Eddie Duran holding my hand, wearing a dress my mother would normally have shied away from upon seeing the price tag.

As we got closer, I could see people lined up down the street, holding signs and cameras at the ready just in case they caught a glimpse of someone famous. My heart began to race in my chest, my breathing became shallow and for a moment I closed my eyes telling myself that I was going to be okay. No one would be looking at me anyway. Everyone would be preoccupied with Eddie and the other A-list stars that were to be gracing the carpet.

The car came to a stop in front of the theatre and I tightened my hold on Eddie's hand. He then squeezed back as he shot me a reassuring smile. The driver got out of the car and walked around to open the door allowing the screams and fan girl shrieks to become extremely audible.

Jake was the first to exit the car, followed quickly by Kelly and Sarah and then it was our turn. Before climbing out however, Eddie turned to me "Are you okay?"

"I don't know why I'm so scared" I confessed with a nervous laugh quickly followed by a sharp intake of breath.

Eddie was tilted his head to that he could catch my gaze "You're going to be fine, I promise okay? I'll be with you every step of the way and I promise to not let you trip over the carpet." He said the last part with a wink, obvious teasing me and feeding my nerves.

"Thank you for that" I replied back with a bit of a snip in my voice but mostly with sarcasm.

Eddie simply laughed and then made to step out of the car. As soon as he stepped out the screams intensified and I think I visibly cringed, my ears not used to the sound. Eddie however, seemed perfectly fine as he buttoned his jacket and then extended his hand out to me. I took it shyly and exited the car, stepping out into his world.

Cameras were flashing and girls were screaming. That's all I could really gather at the moment. I did as I had been told and immediately made my way to stand beside Kelly who was standing back as Sarah and Jake walked Eddie over to where fans were being held back by a small silver gate and many security guards.

As Eddie took pictures and signed autographs, I couldn't help the smile that spread over my lips. He spent a few seconds talking to each fan, trying to be as attentive as he could be before moving on to the next trying to give everyone what they wanted.

"You two make a very cute couple you know" I heard Kelly say from beside me.

I turned, letting her know I had heard her but shook my head "We're just friends."

"Keep telling your selves that" she said with a suggestive smile before making her way towards Jake and the chaos. I didn't know what to do. Jake had said to stay with Kelly but I also didn't think I was supposed to head towards the fans and chaotic energy. So, conflicted, I took a few very slow steps forward, bracing myself for Jake or Kelly to bark at me, telling me to head back.

I stopped a few feet away from where Eddie was and where Kelly and Jake were talking closely. I scanned the crowd, and couldn't believe that I was on this side of it all. It was like living in a fairy tale.

A few more feet away from where Eddie stood was a little girl on her father's shoulders, wearing one of Eddie's concert t-shirts. Her large eyes were widened as she watched Eddie move down the row in admiration. I could tell that to that girl, simply seeing her idol so close was going to make this a day she wouldn't soon forget. I could relate.

I took a few more steps forward, simply hovering in the background, waiting for Kelly to walk back over to me or at least tell me what I was supposed to do. She however, was too engaged in her conversation with Jake, which seemed to be quite heated and personal, so I didn't want to get involved.

Eventually, I caught onto the fact that a few girls down the row were talking amongst themselves waiting for Eddie to reach them but continuously glancing at me. When I caught their eyes I smiled at them sweetly for a brief moment and then retracted my gaze placing it elsewhere in the crowd where I noticed the same thing, a small cluster of girls with their main focus on Eddie but occasionally their gaze falling on me.

"Aren't you Loren?" One of the girls called out to me, catching my attention.

I took a few more steps towards the gated off fans until I was standing right in front of them and in front of the girl who had shouted the question out to me "Sorry?"

"Aren't you Loren, the girl from the Lily Park interview with Eddie Duran?" The camera had been on me for less than thirty seconds. How could she possibly remember me from that?

The girls around her focused their sights on me as well and waited in anticipation for my answer. "Yeah, that's me."

The girls then erupted into some kind of excitement "So you're like, best friends with Eddie Duran? That's so cool!" One of them exclaimed.

I let out a small laugh "Thanks, I think."

The girl who had called me over then spoke up again "Would you be able to get Eddie to come back over here? He walked by really quickly and my little sister" she pointed up to the little girl I had noticed earlier, perched on her father's shoulders. "She's Eddie's biggest fan and it's her birthday. Could you get him to wish her a happy birthday?"

The little girl was still watching Eddie, I wasn't sure she had even blinked. She couldn't be more than three or four, and now that I was closer I could see the wonderment that was sparkling in her baby blues. I didn't want to over step my bounds today by telling Eddie to back track down the line but something about that little girl had captivated me. "I'll see what I can do" I assured the older sister before walking away from her and towards Eddie.

As I approached I could hear Eddie sounding off a chorus of 'Thank you' to each and every fan who was voicing their love for him and his music.

From the corner of his eye he saw me approach and gave me his attention when he saw that I was coming directly to him. I placed a hand on his shoulder and brought my lips to his ear so that I wouldn't have to out scream the screaming fans. "I'm sorry to interrupt" I began, knowing that I was probably breaking Jake's rules right now. I turned slightly so that I could point to the little girl "See that girl?" Eddie nodded "It's her birthday today and her sister was wondering if you could go back over there and wish her a happy birthday."

I pulled away slightly to see Eddie's reaction to my question. To my relief he was smiling "Of course, just give me one second." I nodded and watched as he finished signing a few more autographs and snapped a few more pictures and then he placed his hand on the small of my back guiding me towards the little girl with him.

The father set the little girl down and whispered something in her ear, after which she made her way to the front of the gate, pressing her face against the metal bars, both hands wrapped tightly around two of the poles.

Eddie crouched down in front of her and said something to her before she nodded and Eddie stood back up. Then he reached over the gate and picked her up, allowing her to sit on his hip. "What's your name sweet heart?"

"Sophie" the girl replied, her wide eyes glistening in disbelief.

"Well Sophie, my friend over there" he pointed to me, and Sophie quickly glanced at me before settling her baby blues on Eddie once again "she told me that it's your birthday."

Sophie nodded enthusiastically. "I'm four now" she informed him as she held up four fingers.

Eddie acted surprised "Four? Wow, you're all grown up now!" Sophie giggled and nodded. "Do you like being four so far?" Sophie nodded again. "What's the best thing that's happened while you've been four?"

Sophie smiled brightly "This!"

The way Eddie smiled at her answer melted my heart "Can I tell you something?" Sophie nodded and leaned her head in closer to Eddie's "Meeting you has been the best thing that's happened to me while being twenty one."

Sophie looked close to tears at Eddie's words and then breathed out a sweet "Thank you."

Eddie shook his head "No, thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you Sophie. Make sure you eat lots of cake tonight, okay?" Sophie's eyes widened at the thought and she nodded happily making Eddie laugh. Then Eddie kissed her cheek "Happy birthday sweetheart" and placed her back over the gate at which time she ran back into her father's arms.

"You just made her year" I told Eddie when he walked back over to me. "That was incredibly sweet of you."

Eddie once again placed his hand on the small of my back as we made our way back up the row "Thank you for telling me about her."

"I didn't over step?" I wondered aloud.

Eddie shook his head "I move through these things so fast that I rarely get to everyone and its missing fans like that that makes me hate that fact."

We made our way back over to where Eddie had been before I plucked him away and Sarah looked relieved at the sight of him "There you are! Come on there's a few interviews I want you to give."

Sarah ushered Eddie down the row to where a bunch of TV crews were set up. I followed them when I saw that Kelly and Jake were making their way over as well. During the interviews I stood by Sarah who was next to Eddie but out of view from the cameras.

"Hello handsome," one of the female hosts exclaimed when Eddie walked in front of her. "It's good to see you tonight, how are you doing?"

"I'm great Kristin" Eddie replied, seeming genuinely happy "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful, long no see though. How have you been? Last time I talked to you, you were getting ready to head out on your first world tour. Now you're back and you're bigger than ever. What's it like to be Eddie Duran right now?"

Eddie chuckled "It's crazy, but it's good. Tonight, it's just really loud."

Kristin nodded, "I think you're getting more attention than the stars of the movie. So tell me, any chance we'll be seeing in any more films in the next little while or are you more focused on your music?"

"Music is definitely my top priority right now" Eddie informed her, "but if I'm given a script I absolutely fall in love with then I definitely won't count it out."

"I think your fans will be happy to hear that" Kristin said. "Now you know I have to talk fashion and you look great. Can you tell me who you're wearing?"

"Calvin Klein."

Kristin nodded and brought the microphone back to mouth "Well not only do you look fantastic but the young lady you arrived with looks gorgeous as well." Both Eddie and Kristin turned to look at me as the camera turned as well. Then Sarah pulled me beside Eddie and into the camera's frame. "Who's your date tonight Eddie?"

Eddie gave me an apologetic smile "This is my friend Loren, she was kind of enough to accompany me here tonight."

"Who are you wearing, Loren?"

Suddenly the microphone was in front of my face. I was glad I actually knew the answer to that question "BCBG Max Azria."

"You are simply adorable. How did you and Eddie become friends?"

There was that microphone again. "Right place, right time" I replied, stealing an answer I had heard Eddie use once before.

She looked unhappy with my vague answer but kept a smile plastered on her face. "Well, thank you both for taking the time to talk to us. Enjoy your night!"

Eddie gave a short nod and then led me away from the cameras. "I'm sorry about that. You keep getting dragged into my world."

I gave a simple shrug "Tonight I kind of stepped into it willingly."

Eddie smiled "True."

Then, Sarah dragged Eddie forward and forced him to give a few more interviews. This time I stayed by Jake and Kelly, though I could sense that my presence wasn't wanted. There was some serious tension between the two of them.

After a few minutes of standing around, watching Eddie bouncing from one interview to the next I heard Jake curse from beside me "This is not good."

At first I looked at Jake, as did Kelly and then we both followed his line of vision. Walking down the carpet, in sky high stilettos, and a cleavage bearing, mid thigh baby doll dress was Chloe Carter, her sights set on Eddie.

As she came closer to us Jake interceded and stepped out in front of her "That's not a good idea Chloe."

Chloe's perfectly glossed lips pressed in a line and she tossed back her perfectly curled hair with a perfectly manicured finger. Everything about the girl was perfect. Well, everything except her personality. But still, it made me sick.

"I have every right to talk to him Jake" she argued, her hands now placed on her bony hips. "I need him to hear me out, he owes me that much."

"Chloe" Jake warned "I'm telling you this as a friend, you don't want to do this. Not here."

Chloe took a step towards Jake, her tall figure heighted by her heels, allowing her to tower over him "I have the right to explain myself Jake."

"I thought you already did that." The words left my mouth before I could stop them and both Jake and Chloe's attention shifted to me.

"What did you just say to me little girl?"

Chloe made her way over to me. At least my heels bumped me up to a measly 5'6" so I wasn't as tiny compared to her. And as much as I wanted to tell Chloe off and give her a piece of my mind, I knew that this was neither the time, nor the place for that. "Nothing" I replied.

She let out a small laugh and stared me down "No, if you have something to say, say it."

"Leave her alone Chloe" Eddie voice sounded from beside me I felt his arm snake around my waist. "Let's not do this here okay?"

Chloe's eyes trailed down to my waist where she saw Eddie's hand and then traveled back up so that they met mine "What were you going to say little girl?" She asked again, ignoring Eddie all together.

I broke our stare and quickly scanned the crowd, noticing that nearly everyone had their attention on us and the potential World War 3 that was about to go down.

"Chloe, I mean it, leave her alone" Eddie's tone was harsh and sturdy.

I don't think anyone was surprised when she ignored him once again though, "I'll ask you one more time kid. What were you going to say?"

Against my better judgment I replied. "From what I understand you already spoke your case to Eddie. You gave your excuses, you gave your explanations and considering that fact that he didn't take you back and still wants nothing to do with you should be enough of an indicator that he either didn't buy any of it or just doesn't care."

"Excuse me" Chloe looked at me through narrowed eyes.

"You hurt him Chloe" the stillness around me let me know that all eyes and ears were on us. "You broke his heart. He owes you nothing. You deserve nothing from him. If you ever really cared about him, even for a second, you'll leave him alone and let him get on with his life. He deserves better than you."

Before Chloe had the chance to respond, Jake interjected "Eddie, why don't you and Loren start heading in?"

Eddie nodded and took my hand, guiding me away from the onlookers, cameras and most of all, from Chloe. Once inside the theater I covered my face with my hands, embarrassed by my behavior "I'm so sorry" my voice my muffled and barely audible through my hands.

I allowed myself to sneak a peek of Eddie through my fingers and when I saw that he was smiling I dropped my hands all together. "Don't apologize" he said, clearly amused. "I didn't know you had such a mean streak."

My eyes closed in embarrassment "Neither did I, but what Chloe said about you owing her, it just, snapped something in me. I'm sorry for causing drama. I know that's not what you need."

Taking a step towards me, Eddie took my hands in his. "Chloe was the one causing the drama. I know you were just looking out for me, so thank you."

Letting out a heavy sigh I looked up at him through my lashes "So you're not mad?"

"No, not at all, Chloe…," he trailed off, searching his mind for some way to finish the thought. "Chloe was a mistake, one that I never plan on making again and apparently me telling her that wasn't getting through so maybe, hearing you say it, will finally let it sink in for her."

The look of uncertainty that flashed across my face was unavoidable "I seriously doubt that," I admitted.

Eddie considered that fact for a second "Okay, maybe not, but at least it pissed her off."

I couldn't contain my laugh "What?"

"What?" Eddie laughed as well and then nodded towards the theater doors "We should probably go find our seats." Then I followed his lead. I think that was really the only way I was ever going to be able to navigate his world.

**Late, I know, but this is the third version of this chapter. At first this chapter was supposed to just be the celebration dinner but that version wasn't working out so I scrapped it all together today and wrote this instead. I hope you enjoy it! **

**The next chapter holds turning points for many of the characters so definitely watch for it! **

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	14. Between The Raindrops

___"Look around__there's no one but you and me__  
__Right here and now__the way it was meant to be."_

_-Between The Raindrops by Lifehouse _

As I sat at my desk, typing away on my laptop, putting the finishing touches on an essay I had due on Monday, Melissa lied on my bed, on her stomach, flexing and pointing her feet as she flipped through a magazine. With each quick turn of the page she fanned herself, her boredom reining obvious. "You do realize you have the whole weekend to finish that, right Lo?"

My back remained turned to her as I hurried trough the final paragraph "Yeah, but if I get it done early I can spend time with Eddie this weekend. I haven't seen him for a couple of days." I remained concentrated on the paper, my voice monotone and barely there in way of interest.

I could sense Mel sit up on the bed and heard what sounded like the tearing of paper "Oh my god, Lo!"

Everything was exciting in Mel's eyes so when her voice suddenly went up a few octaves I didn't really think much of it. That is until a magazine page was being dangled in front of my face, blocking from vision from the laptop screen.

The page Mel had ripped out was all about the premiere that Eddie had taken me to and amongst the star studded photographs that graced the layout, was a decent sized picture of me whispering into Eddie's ear.

Under the picture was a small caption.

_Eddie Duran and his just-friends date_ _Loren were all smiles as Eddie greeted his fans at the Too Far Gone premiere in L.A. We can't help but wonder what sweet nothing's the brunette beauty was whispering into Eddie's ear. _

"Star Magazine called you a brunette beauty!" Mel exclaimed as she quickly began to fan herself with her hands. "How cool is that?"

Taking the magazine page from Mel's hands, I shook my head in disbelief "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to seeing my face in the media."

Mel shot me a knowing smile "So you're expecting to see more of your face in the media?"

My face automatically tightened at her question "That's not what I meant but I don't plan on putting a stop to my friendship with Eddie anytime soon so I guess the media and paparazzi is kind of inevitable."

Slowly, and almost swaying, Mel made her way back over to my bed "Yeah, especially when you two start frolicking." She took a seat on the edge of the bed, her feet swinging slightly.

I closed my lap top and swiveled my chair around so that I was facing her "Stop it, Mel."

She threw her hands up in the air, refusing to accept defeat but obviously frustrated by my quickness to accept it "Stop what? You and Eddie are actually a basis in reality now do you realize how cool that is? The fantasy of Eddie declaring his love for you and proposing on stage of the Staples Center isn't as far- fetched as it was last year."

Growing frustrated myself, I stood and walked over to the bed pointing out the word 'friend' in the photo caption. "See that? That's what we are. We're just friends." I let out a breath as I sat down next to her.

Mel took the page from my hands and folded it in half "A friend that you want to grab and kiss and ask questions later" she replied with a knowing edge in her voice.

And I couldn't help the guilty smile that invaded my lips. "How about we talk about your love life instead?"

A passive look came over Mel "My non-existent one?" My eyebrows rose accusingly and while Mel held her ground for a minute, she eventually caved "Okay fine, there may be something going on with Adam but there are no juicy details yet."

"But you'll keep me informed?"

Mel beamed "Of course! Now tell me about your conversation with Cam, you let him down gently right?"

A simple shrug was all I could give "I thought I did, but he still didn't take it very well. He seemed convinced that if I just went on a date with him I wouldn't regret it."

"Maybe he's right?" Mel suggested.

"Maybe but I just don't feel that way about him. I don't want to give him false hope by saying yes."

Mel teetered her head back and forth "That, and compared to Eddie Duran, he just has no leg to stand on."

"It has nothing to do with Eddie" I assured her, my tone firm and true "I swear. Eddie or no Eddie, Cam and I are just not meant to be. Besides, every conversation we have ends up being about Lacrosse."

"What is Lacrosse anyway? Is like to hockey because of the sticks, or soccer because of all of the running around?" Mel's confusion matched my own.

At that moment my bedroom door swung open, my mom in the doorway, an unreadable look on her face "Hey girls, I'm sorry to interrupt but Adriana just got home and Don and I really need to speak to you and her Lo."

Mom's gaze slowly rested on Mel apologetically. Mel jumped to her feet taking the hint "And you want me to get out of here."

Mom allowed a small smile to form on her lips "You know how much I love you Mel. It's just a family matter."

Confused, I looked between my mom and Mel "You do know that whatever you're going to tell me I'm just going to turn around and tell Mel, right?"

"I know" Mom replied "but Don and I agreed that this is something we need to discuss, with just the four of us."

Suddenly I envied Mel's ability to leave. I stood quickly and hugged my friend goodbye before following my mom into the living room, hearing the front door close as Mel let herself out.

Sitting on the love seat was Don while Adriana sat curled up on the ivory chair across from it. Mom took her seat beside Don, allowing her fingers to lace between his as I took a seat on the sofa, hugging one of the throw cushions to my body, preparing for whatever was going to be said.

With a small smile, Don began to speak as the hand not currently laced with my mom's rested on her knee. "We know that the last month has been a bit of an adjustment period for the both of you and we appreciate that you both have been trying to make the best of it because like it or not, we are a family." Mom smiled as Don's eyes met hers in a gentle caress. "And there is nothing more important than family."

Retracting her gaze and allowing it to shift between Adriana and I, Mom jumped in "We love you girls, so much and we know that everything has happened very quickly, with us dating, getting engaged and married all within a year but you girls will one day learn that love chooses you, you don't choose it."

"And sometimes love moves quickly" Don continued. "Like it did for us and it sometimes brings unforeseen things."

Adriana then let out a heavy breath. Had she been two years old and standing, I would have half expected her to stomp her foot. "Just spit it out already!"

"I'm pregnant."

At first I wasn't sure that the words spoken had come from my mom. Sure, it was her voice, her lips that moved and her smile that grew but the implication of the words were something my well organized, strategically planned mother would never say so soon into a marriage. And yet, as much as I wanted to deny it, the words had indeed been spoken by her.

"What?" Adriana was the one who spoke next, shock consuming her.

"I'm pregnant, _we're_ pregnant" she corrected herself as she looked up at Don's face, both of them smiling like buffoons.

Adriana shook her head, trying to comprehend what was being said. "Like, with a baby?"

No one bothered to answer but instead Mom continued in her effort to avoid an awkward silence "We get to find out the gender next week and he, or she is due in October." Both Mom and Don looked from Adriana to me and back again. "Loren?"

My eyes snapped up so that I met hers "Yeah?"

"You haven't said anything."

Honestly, I didn't know what to say. Our 'family' as they seemed to like to call it, was not ready for a new addition. Adriana and I could barely get through breakfast without pulling each other's hair out and Don only made an appearance when there was food on the table. His priorities were completely unbalanced. Then with Mom working full time and me going away to Brown next year…a baby just didn't seem like a good idea. "I'm just…processing" I finally managed to choke out.

"Well, I need to head into the clinic, I have a surgery scheduled" Don announced as he stood, kissing Mom's cheek before exiting the room without so much as a goodbye or a wave to either Adriana or I. Priorities. The man had a derailed concept of them.

Mom stood as well, smoothing out her dress as she did "I know the idea is going to take some time to get used to but I think it will be a blessing for our family. It'll be the final knot we need to tie."

Unexpectedly Adriana jumped to her feet and threw her arms around my mom "I hope it's a girl!" The excitement, suddenly pouring out from Adriana shocked both me and my mom. "We could dress her up in little princess outfits and do her hair and makeup!"

Mom pulled away slowly, laughing at Adriana's plans "And if it's a boy?"

Adriana shrugged "He'll be adored by the girls in school while growing up."

Peeking over Adriana's shoulder, Mom set her eyes on me once more "Are you okay Lo?" She knew me a little too well, a fact that I hated.

I too stood, placing the pillow on the couch as I did "I'm fine," I told her "it's still just sinking in."

Before Mom could ask any more questions Adriana had pulled her down onto the love seat to discuss all things baby, Baby clothes, baby crib, which room the baby would get and possible baby names. Apparently anything old fashioned like Elizabeth or Victoria or Mildred was completely off limits.

With both of them distracted I made my way out of the house. I immediately pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Melissa's number but when she answered I could hear Lisa in the background yelling at her to get off the phone. She apologized quickly before hanging up, not allowing me to get even one word out.

Then, I called Eddie and when he didn't answer I decided to swing by his place to see if he was in. Once there, the doorman Jeffery informed me that Eddie hadn't been at his place since early that morning but he had heard him say something about heading to MK in the afternoon. He advised me to check there.

When I arrived at the club it was about 6:00pm and there were still a few hours before the club doors were to open to the public. However, even as one of the bartenders asked me to leave, Max had just started down the stairs from his apartment and waved his employee off, telling him that I was fine. "Loren, what a nice surprise are you here to meet Eddie?"

My eyes quickly scanned the room before landing back on Max "Is he here?"

"Nope, he was about an hour ago."

My body visibly sulked "Okay, thanks."

I turned and began to make my way out of the club but Max's voice pulled me back "Is everything okay, Loren? You seem a little distracted."

Turning back around I let out a heavy sigh, Max seemed like the intuitive type. There was no point in lying to him "Everything's fine, I just have some family stuff going on and need to talk to someone but my best friend is preoccupied and I can't seem to find Eddie. I tried calling him earlier but he didn't answer."

Max reached into his pocket, pulling out a blue encased cell phone, identical to Eddie's. "He forgot his phone when he was here earlier. I guess he had it on silent. I would have answered had I heard it ring."

Just my luck, "Okay, well could you tell him to give me a call when you see him?"

Max nodded but then pulled a stool out from the side bar and took a seat before pulling out another "Come sit down for a minute." Seeing the concern on his face, I did as he asked and hopped up onto the stool, placing my purse on the counter. "You know, Eddie may not be around but between you and me, I'm a much better listener and I give much better advice. So tell me what's on your mind."

Staring into his eyes I could see that same open book like quality that Eddie possessed, I suppose the eyes were the gateway to the Duran boy soul. I could see straight through them and because of that I could see that Max was serious about wanting to listen, about wanting to help. And like his son, Max had a certain charm to him. I guess I knew where Eddie got it from now.

Pushing my hair out of my face, I let out a small sigh "My mom's pregnant."

Max sat back, a joyful grin now on his face "Oh wow, congratulations Loren!" My lack of response gave me away and Max suddenly frowned "Oh is this not good news?"

Sighing again, I rubbed a hand over my face considering how to approach the subject. "I don't know" I spoke honestly. "I mean, my mom's been married for only a month and their whole relationship happened in the blink of an eye. I just, don't know if now is…the best time for a baby."

Studying my face for a moment, Max pursed his lips in thought. "I get that but not every baby is carefully planned for. Eddie sure wasn't."

"No?" That I didn't know. It was something else we had in common.

"No" Max shook his head as he leaned against the counter. "Katy and had just started a world tour when we found out that she was pregnant. We were on the road for the first five months of her pregnancy and then were back to writing and recording a new album. I was in the recording studio when she went into labor."

I smiled at the image of a baby Eddie, he must have been adorable. "It's not just the timing of it though, it's…" I stopped myself, growing unsure if this was something I should share.

"It's what?"

"I don't know" I replied honestly. "There's just something about my mom's husband that doesn't sit well with me and he's barely around now as it is. He's a bit of a workaholic and I don't want the baby growing up with that. I mean, he can barely parent his eighteen year old daughter, never mind an infant."

Max leaned in a little, showing interest in what I was saying "You don't like your stepdad?"

"It's more than that" I replied, I knew no one could really understand my reservations "I just don't trust him. I don't trust him to be there for my mom and for the baby. I don't think he was ready to be a parent eighteen years ago and I don't think he's ready to be one now."

"Have you told your mom how you feel?"

Had I? "Sort of, I mean she knows I'm not his biggest fan but she also knows that I want her to be happy and Don seems to make her happy and that should be enough for me, right? My mom's happiness should be enough to convince me that he's a good guy but-"

"Pops, are you here?" Max and I both whipped our heads around towards the entrance and saw Eddie making his way in. Eddie searched the club for a moment before his eyes settled on Max and I and a surprised and slightly confused look passed over him.

He quickly made his way over the side bar and towards us. "Hey there son, looking for this" Max asked as he pushed Eddie's phone on down the counter, closer to Eddie.

Eddie picked it up and shoved it into his pocket "Thanks," then he set his gaze on me "what are you doing here?"

I shrugged slowly "I came here looking for you but ran into your dad instead."

Max nodded proudly "I've been listening and advising."

Eddie cringed jokingly "That's never good. Dad's idea of advice is quotes he reads in fortune cookies."

Not even attempting to deny it, Max stood "Well, on that note," Max met my eyes "I'll leave you in the capable hands of my son. Try and see the good in this, okay Loren?"

I'll admit, it did sound like something I would read from a fortune cookie. "Okay, thanks Max." Max patted my shoulder and then began to make his way up the stairs, back to his apartment.

Instinctually, Eddie took Max's now vacant stool "Everything okay?"

The sound of voices coming into the club caught my attention and I saw workers beginning to come in for their shifts. I turned my attention back to Eddie quickly, "Can we go somewhere else, somewhere a little more private?"

Eddie flashed a knowing smile "I know the perfect place." He took my hand and began to walk out of the club. We both climbed into Eddie's car and I immediately knew where he was headed as we made our way up to Griffith Park.

When we arrived on the top of our hill after a short hike, the sun was just beginning to set and the sky was painted with bright, blended hues of orange and pink. I had never been up here during the sunset. I usually came up mid afternoon or incredibly late at night. Apparently I had been coming at the wrong time for years. The sight before me was breathtaking.

I took a seat beside the tree and stared straight ahead as Eddie took a seat beside me. "So, what's going on?"

"I'm a terrible person" I informed him, forcing myself to continue to look straight ahead.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, laughing lightly at my overly dramatized statement.

Finally, I turned my head so that I could meet his questioning eyes. "My mom is pregnant."

Eddie's face fell instantly "Oh, wow."

"Yeah" my attention returned to the horizon as silence over took us, though the warm wind was blowing softly, allowing the sound of rustling leaves to take away from the sound of silence slightly.

Soon, I felt the warmth of Eddie's hand between my shoulder blades as he rubbed my back gently, hoping to soothe my racing mind. "I get it, the pregnancy came on fast and it was unexpected so you're in a bit of shock. That doesn't make you a terrible person Loren."

That was only the half of it "I know but it's not just that. I honestly don't think a baby is a good idea right now. Don is a workaholic who has barely ever made time for the daughter he has and so I know that all the responsibility of the baby will fall on my mom and when I leave in the fall I won't be around to help and Adriana can barely take care of herself, let alone a baby." Eddie's eyes remained focused on my face, trying to read my emotions "Since finding out about that baby I've spent all of my time worrying and saying how horrible it will be to have a baby around our family. I haven't even smiled at the idea of having a baby brother or sister." My own confession left me sick "I'm a terrible person."

Eddie shook his head and scooted closer to me "No, you're a rational person. Based on everything you've told me, I don't think Don is the best father for a baby to have but there are two things I'm positive of."

Playing along, I tilted my head in wonder "And what would those be?"

Lifting one finger, he replied "One, that baby is going to be blessed with an amazing mother."

I couldn't argue that one. My mom really was the best and she had raised me all on her own, without anyone's help or guidance "And two?"

Eddie smiled "Two, that baby is going to have an incredible older sister." His eyes trapped mine as the words left his mouth. "Don't worry about everyone else's roles in the baby's life or how attentive certain people are going to be. All you can control is your role in his or her life and whether or not you think a baby is the best thing at the moment, I know you and I know that you're going to love that baby with every part of you."

In that moment, with the warm setting sun dancing across his face and the sincerity sparkling in his eyes, I felt more comfortable with him than I ever had before. Maybe Eddie was right, maybe tomorrow I would wake up and the excitement and joy would hit me and I would sit on the living room floor with Adriana and my mom making lists of names. If nothing else, I knew that when the baby came I would love it. There would be no doubt about that. "Thank you."

Eddie scooted closer to me, a small smile tugging on his lips "I'm actually envious of you, you know? I always wanted a little brother or sister."

There was sadness in his words "Your parents didn't want any more kids?"

Eddie shook his head "They did actually and they tried but it just never happened." He slipped into silence for a moment, a memory or thought invading his mind "They were always the people to believe that everything happened for a reason, so when they realized another baby just wasn't in the cards they put all of their energy into loving me."

"You would have been a great older brother."

He smiled gratefully at my words and then placed a hand on my knee "You _will_ make a great older sister."

Our eyes locked in a mutual appreciative stare. The smile he had been wearing slowly began to fade as we both began to realize how close we were. Our shoulders were touching and our faces were only a few inches apart, the feeling if his increasingly shallow breath was tangible on my lips and I'm sure mine was on his.

My eyes slowly shifted from the stare down to his full lips, which I realized were slightly parted, and then back up to lock eyes once more but I then realized that his eyes had made a similar path. When his gaze locked with mine once more I felt as if the world had stopped, as if every tick and every tock had halted in place to allow this moment to stretch out for as long as possible, stopping time all together.

Then, time seemed to slowly start back up, second by second as Eddie's face inched even closer to mine and my heart began to race unsteadily in my chest, so much so that I was convinced that Eddie could hear it. But that thought left my mind as soon as I felt my body inching closer to Eddie as well. And then it happened. The touch of our lips was as light as a feather at first, neither of us wanting to scare the other off, neither wanting to push our luck and it ended as soon as it began. We both pulled back slightly, both of our eyes fluttering open to examine the face of the other for any sign of hesitation or regret before it happened again.

This time as our lips met, they fully pressed to one another, both of us leaning in entirely with no hesitation. His hand lifted off of my knee and instead cupped my cheek, pushing my hair away from my face as I allowed one of my hands to rest gently on his chest, the feeling of his racing heart matching mine.

My body inched closer, craving more contact as his free hand snaked around my waist holding me to him as he deepened the kiss, both of us taking a sharp intake of breath as our lips parted against one another's. The shy, school yard, first kiss routine forgotten and replaced with a slow, and gentle, what I deemed, passionate kiss, taking its place. And I had to admit, kissing Eddie was nothing like kissing Cam. With Cam I didn't know what I felt, the only emotion I could recognize was confusion but with Eddie, I was relaxed as well as completely unnerved. I was elated and weightless and comfortable. Kissing Eddie was everything the books described it as and so much more. Even Nicholas Sparks would have had trouble putting this into words.

We could have been kissing for only a few seconds or possibly several minutes, I hadn't kept track but as we pulled apart, my heart was cursing us, begging him to lean back in and allow ourselves to get lost in another kiss. The pending reality of what just happened hanging over my head like a raincloud, waiting for him to voice his regret and for raindrops to wash away the feeling of perpetual bliss that had taken over me.

**And they finally kissed! I had so much fun writing that, I can't even tell you! And I want to say a big thank you to KatieDean0343 who stayed up until an obscene hour to read this story and who continued to review as I was writing this chapter. I kept getting email notices from you as I was writing and your reviews were so sweet and kind. I wanted to thank you personally but you have the PM option disabled on your page so I have to thank you here! **

**And who else loves watching Max and Loren bonding moments on the show? They're like father/daughter moments. I love them! I'm so happy Max approves of Loren and I'm sure we'll be seeing many more moments between the two in the weeks to come considering everything that happened this past week. Did anyone else cry on Friday? Warning if you did, Monday's episode is a heartbreaker too. I saw it early and balled my eyes out, lol.**

**Please review, favourite & follow! Those emails make my day!**

**Stay classy! **

**-Tia**


	15. The Start of Something Beautiful

"_This is the start of something beautiful  
This is the start of something new  
And you are the one that makes me loose it all  
And you are the start of something new."_

_-This by Ed Sheeran_

We were still so close. The tiny hairs on our foreheads were nearly brushing against each other as our eyes locked in an unreadable stare, the only sound surrounding us being the low howl of the cool evening wind and our own unsteady breaths.

For the first time, I couldn't read Eddie's eyes. They were distant and yet present. Confused and yet assured. So many conflicting emotions were running through them but his gaze never left mine. Neither of us moved for several seconds, both of us trying to understand the implications of what had just happened, both of us knowing that our friendship was forever changed.

Finally, the silence broke as Eddie cleared his throat and reached his hand to the back of his neck as he pulled further away, breaking our eye contact and instead looking down at the blades of green grass. And I waited. I waited for him to say something. Something that would break me and crush all hope that had risen in the last few minutes or, possibly, something that would send those hopes soaring. I just needed something. But he remained silent.

So I stood, instantly grabbing his attention as I did so and brushed the grass and dirt off of my clothing. "I should get home" I said, forcing my gaze anywhere but on Eddie. "I have to go over an essay for Monday and my mom probably needs help with dinner."

Then, the warmth of Eddie's hand enveloped mine "Loren" his voice was soft and sweet, as if he was coaxing a small child, afraid that if he spoke too harshly or too loudly I would go running off. Gently, he pulled me down beside him, his eyes on me, mine firmly on the ground. "I wasn't expecting that." He paused for a second then brought his forefinger and thumb under my chin, lifting it slowly so that my eyes would meet his. "I wasn't expecting this."

And suddenly I knew we were talking about a lot more than the kiss. "Neither was I." His hand dropped from my face but his eyes never left mine. "Do you regret it?"

"Do I regret kissing you?" I didn't think his question required an answer. "No. I don't."

Letting out a small breath, I turned my attention to the horizon where the sun had almost completely hidden itself behind the hills. "So what happens now?"

"I don't know." At least he was being honest. "I mean, Chloe and I just-"

"I don't want to talk about Chloe." Whatever was happening between Eddie and I had nothing to do with Chloe. "Whatever happened or is happening between us has nothing to do with her."

I felt Eddie remove his gaze from me as he let out a heavy sigh "I know. That's what has me so confused." Soon he was leaning back on his elbows, watching as the city slowly succumbed to darkness, "You've been such a great friend these past few weeks and I don't want to lose that. I don't want to compromise that."

At his words, my high hopes quickly began losing helium and were floating back down to earth. "So, do you want to forget this happened?"

I knew I couldn't. "I don't think I can."

This time it was me facing Eddie as he looked out into the distance, taking in the beauty of our secret spot. His eyebrows were slightly pulled together as his thoughts continued to confuse him while his cheeks were slightly pulled up as if he was biting back a smile. And on his lips was the faint sprinkle of glitter that my lip gloss had left behind. "Can I ask you something?" He turned his head, giving me his full attention and nodded. "Do you have feelings for me?" I didn't take the time to search his face for a reaction to my question but instead continued before he could answer "Because I have feelings for you. And I know you're going through a lot right now and I don't want to add to that but I want to be honest with you. That being said I don't want to lose my friendship with you either."

This time I did search his face and waited for him to reply, holding my breath in anticipation. "I thought my feelings were pretty obvious" Eddie admitted, retracting his gaze in a shy manner "they are according to my dad."

"You talked to your dad about me?" I couldn't help the surprise and happiness that rang out through my voice.

Eddie simply smiled at me "You've pretty much been the main topic of every conversation lately, ever since the video shoot. At first he told me he wanted me to keep our friendship strictly that, a friendship."

"At first?"

Eddie sat up, lifting himself from his elbows and instead leaned forward, resting them on his knees. "Like I said before, my feelings for you became pretty obvious to him, and he just wants me to be happy."

"I make you happy?"

A light entered Eddie's eyes as insecurity fumbled out with my words and he slowly reached for my hand, letting his thumb brush over the back of it. "You've been the one bright spot in all of this." We both let our eyes settle on our hands, watching as Eddie's thumb ran over my knuckles and eventually allowing his fingers to lace through mine for the first time. "I wouldn't have been able to deal with any of this without you."

"Same." My eyes traveled upwards through a blink, meeting Eddie's "So where does that leave us?"

His lips turned upwards in a twitch as he slowly leaned towards me, his eyes forever searching mine for any sort of hesitation until he broke our gaze. His eyes traveled down to my lips for an instant before pressing his lips to mine.

Leaving my one hand laced with his, my free hand cupped Eddie's cheek and slowly, I brought it to the back of his neck pulling him closer, deepening our kiss. The fingers of his own free hand delved into the tresses of my hair, holding my head in place as his tongue slowly slipped past my lips causing me to take in a gasp of air as the new sensation sent tingles all throughout my body, my lack of experience suddenly a flashing neon light.

But as Eddie attempted to pull away, no doubt in response to my inability to hide my gasp of surprise, I leaned further into him wordlessly telling him that this was okay. That I was okay. Our kiss returned to the more innocent manner that it had been before but even in innocence, the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering around crazily.

If it weren't for the sound of Eddie's phone ringing, pulling us out of our daze like a bucket of cold water, I'm not sure I would have ever pulled away.

Eddie took a second trying to get his breathing under control before he accepted the call and pressed his phone to his ear. "Hello?" I wasn't sure who was on the other line but in the time I had known Eddie I had come to realize it was usually one of two people, Max or Jake. "Alright I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and shot me an apologetic look "Jake wants to meet with me about something at MK" he said as he began to stand.

"Okay" I smiled understandingly and accepted his hand to help me stand.

As we began the hike down the hill to his car, our hands would occasionally brush against each other. A part of me felt like it was a conscious act that we were both participating in. Eventually, Eddie just took hold of my hand, lacing our fingers together and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "How are you feeling about the baby now?"

I had half expected this walk to commence in silence so when Eddie's voice pulled me away from the sanctuary of my thoughts, I jumped slightly. For the past several minutes, all thoughts of the baby had completely left my head. Eddie had been a distraction, a welcomed one though. "I still feel that it's too soon but I can't change that. All I do is be there for my mom throughout the pregnancy and then be there for my brother or sister when he or she is born."

When we arrived at the car Eddie took both of my hands in his and held them to his chest as he looked me in the eye "I meant what I said Loren. You're going to be an amazing older sister."

MK was in full swing when we arrived. A long line had curved its way around the corner into the alley. Some girls were sporting dresses that barely covered their behinds while others wore tops with plunging necklines, showing off what God, or very expensive plastic surgeons, gave them. Eddie parked across the street from the club, to avoid the pestering eyes of the paparazzi for as long as possible.

After opening the car door for me he continued his stance, blocking me from being able to walk away "Do you want to stick around while I talk to Jake?"

"Do _you_ want me to?" I turned the question back around to him. I wasn't sure where we stood and I figured his answer might give me some insight.

"Yes."

His answer was quick and simply put. "Okay" my smile reached my eyes as I replied and allowed Eddie to take my arm before we crossed the street and made our way directly to the front of the line where Eddie shook the hand of one of the club bouncers. They talked for a minute before Eddie introduced me and then the bouncer Barry, unhooked the rope and allowed us to step into the club.

Considering I had only been in the club when it was closed, I wasn't sure what I was expecting inside but I wasn't expecting it to be so crowded. I should have known, with it being a hot new club on Sunset and Eddie's dad being the owner, that it would draw a lot of attention.

Eddie pulled me further inside and the knowledge of Eddie's presence seemed to catch on very quickly. Eyes were stuck to us like magnets and the occasional finger pointed in our direction. As soon as I caught sight of people pulling out phones and cameras I dropped my arm from Eddie's and instead made to lean on the counter of the bar where Max was crunched over, shuffling through shelves looking for something.

"Hey Pop!" Eddie called, grabbing Max's attention instantly.

Max's head shot up and a pleasurable smile graced his lips "What are you two doing back here?"

Eddie pointed his thumb over his shoulder to one of the booths where Jake was situated, his attention on nothing but his phone. "Jake needed to talk to me about something and then I'll follow Loren and make sure she gets home safely."

Max's eyebrows shot up in gentle surprise "I see. Well you'd better head over there, Jake's been here for about ten minutes already and he's already downed two shots. I think the sitting and waiting is messing with his big head." Eddie let out a small laugh as he glanced over at Jake, whose leg was bouncing up and down restlessly. "Go on" Max urged "I'll keep Loren company." Then Max's eyes were on me "I'm far more fascinating than all that business talk."

"Oh" I laughed at Max's playful nature and then gave Eddie a reassuring nod "I'll be fine. Go deal with Jake" I told him before taking a seat on one of the stools.

With one gentle squeeze of my hand which was resting on the bar's counter, Eddie took off in Jake's direction and slid into the booth beside him. The conversation seemed to veer straight into business, pleasantries left behind.

When I turned back around to Max, I saw him sending me a questioning glance "How are you feeling sweetheart?" Max placed a glass in front of me and brought out a carton of cranberry cocktail juice, filling the glass nearly to the rim.

Giving a small shrug, I lifted the glass to my lips and took a small sip. "Better" I admitted as I placed the glass back on the counter and leaned forward on it slightly "you Duran boys are good at cheering a girl up" I said with a smile.

Max chuckled lightly before walking out from behind the counter and taking a seat beside me. "I could give you the same credit" he said giving me a pointed look. "I haven't seen my son smile like he does around you since his mother passed."

"I'm sure that's not true" I countered. "I know he was really happy with Chloe before everything happened."

Max seemed to almost visibly cringe at the sound of her name "It's not the same." Max thought for a minute, considering how to approach this conversation "Sure, he loved her and he was happy with her but he's different around you. He's more relaxed."

Catching Max's gaze, I frowned slightly "She really did a number on him" my gaze shifted for a moment to settle on Eddie and Jake who seemed deep in conversation and then returned to Max.

"Eddie's not the type to go into anything lightly. Every relationship he has had has meant something." I wondered what I meant. Was I fleeting desire? A hopeful thought? Could our relationship even be explained? It seemed that, to both Eddie and I, it was indescribable; at least for the moment. "When he proposed he did it with the honest thought that she was it for him, he believed she was his one true love."

"Like Katy was for you," it wasn't a question so much as it was an observation.

Max stared at me for a moment before a small, sad smile spread onto his lips "You remind me of her, you know."

"Chloe?"

Again, Max cringed "God no. Katy." I remained silent, genuine curiosity running through me. "You have her toughness, her determination to be strong for everyone else even when you're breaking. And you have her warmth, and heart."

I knew that talking about Katy was hard on Max. I knew he grieved the loss of his wife every single day of his life. "Thank you."

"I don't know what's going on between you and my son" Max's eyes bored into mine "but I want you to know that I approve."

"What makes you think something's going on?" In my own voice, I could hear the coyness and the look on Max's face told me he heard it too.

With a light smile, Max continued "All I ask is that you be honest with him."

"I promise" my voice soft, just above a whisper.

Then, a petite, short haired blonde girl walked up to Max, a teasing condescending look brazing her "Sitting on the job Max? I'm appalled."

"Ha ha" Max stood up and gestured between the girl and I "Loren, this is Grace my bar manager, Grace this is Loren, Eddie's friend."

Grace pointed at me knowingly "Song writer girl."

"Sorry?"

"The other night Eddie was in here talking about the girl he had been writing songs with all afternoon. I take it that was you?" Grace had what seemed like a tough exterior but her kind eyes and bright smile gave her away. I could tell she cared deeply about Eddie and she seemed genuinely curious about my relation to him.

"Yeah, I guess that would be me" I had to admit that I was flattered that Eddie had been talking about me.

Grace's hand extended towards me "Well it's nice to meet you."

Taking hold of her hand, I shook it gently "Same here."

Suddenly, I felt two hands on my shoulders and turned slightly to see Eddie standing behind me, Jake beside him eyeing us curiously. "Hey Grace, how's it going?"

Grace shot Eddie a charming smile and gestured to me "Good, I was just getting to know your friend Loren here. You're definitely stepping up in class Eddie" she said before excusing herself to attend to the customers at the bar.

Eddie squeezed my shoulders gently as Jake made his way to stand beside Max. "Good to see you again Loren."

Jake no longer intimidated me. I figured he was like a bear. He could sense fear. He thrived on it to keep him on top. "You too" I then tilted my head back to look at Eddie. "Is everything okay?"

A warm smile spread onto Eddie's lips "Yeah, everything's great. Jake just wanted to hash out some details for that charity concert in June."

"You just got off tour" Max replied, a stern look on his face as he eyed Jake.

Lifting his hands from my shoulders, Eddie walked around me to stand in front of his dad "Nearly two months ago Dad, I'd like to get back out there and perform."

Holding his hands out in defense Max shook his head "I'm just saying. I don't want you to work too hard."

"And I appreciate that" Eddie replied.

When my phone began to ring, I felt a wave of relief at the fact that I had changed my ring tone. It would have been weird if Eddie's song was still it. I dung my phone out of my purse and saw that it was Melissa so I quickly accepted the call "Hey, Mel." I swiveled the stool around so that my back was to the others, giving myself a fake sense of privacy.

Melissa let out an aggravated groan "Lisa is impossible. I swear she's going to make me start wearing a tracking device any day now."

"That is if she doesn't just lock you up in a cage and throw away the key first" I offered back.

"You're hilarious" her dead tone let me know she was being sarcastic. "Anyway, I wanted to apologize for hanging up on you earlier. She was getting on my case about where I had been. What did your mom have to tell you?" Before I began to answer there was a loud crash as a tray of glasses fell to the floor. Max and Grace instantly ran off to deal with it. "What was that? Is Adriana throwing a hissy fit?"

"No" I laughed, though that image was incredibly easy to manifest. "I'm at MK with Eddie."

"Really?" Mel let the word extend, letting me know she was implying something in her own head. "Having fun?"

Letting a small blush creep onto my cheeks, I lowered my head "I'll call you later, okay Mel?"

"Fine" she sighed in disappointment "but I want all the dirty details, got it?"

"Got it, love you" I didn't bother to answer her.

"Love you too!"

With that we hung up and I turned the stool back around to see that only Eddie was left beside me "Sorry about that."

Eddie waved off my apology "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded and placed my phone back in my purse before meeting Eddie's eyes "I called Mel earlier and she was just calling me back."

For a split second Eddie glanced around the club, noticing the stares and fixated eyes that were on us before he turned back to me and gestured to the door "I should probably get you home, it's getting late."

I couldn't bite back the smile that crept its way onto my lips as I stood from the stool "I can get home by myself you know. I'm a big girl."

Eddie shot me an amused look given my choice of words "I'll just feel better knowing that you got home safely."

"I could just call you when I get there." Now I was just teasing him and judging by the bright, crooked smile that had overtaken his expression I knew he had caught on.

Once I arrived home, I noticed that while the porch light was on, all lights inside appeared to be off. I quickly glanced down at the radio to check the time which read 2:13am. I hadn't realized that it had gotten so late.

The car door opened for me before I had even undone my seat belt, courtesy of Eddie. He wore a sweet and gentle smile with tired, glazed over eyes. Apparently I wasn't the only one unaware of the time that had passed. "Well, thank you for making sure I got home safely" I said as I climbed out the car and slammed the door shut, allowing myself to lean against it.

Eddie stood directly in front of me, his hands shoved in his pockets, "Thank you for waiting around at the club. My dad seems to really enjoy your company."

My smile grew a little at the mention of Max "Your dad is really sweet. He seems like a really good guy."

"He's the best" Eddie agreed before taking a step towards me "and it's not every day he approves of the people in my life. Not as quickly as he did with you anyway."

After scratching an itch on my forehead I nodded "Yeah, he actually told me that tonight. That he approves of me" I clarified. "But the way he said it made it seem like he wasn't just talking about friendship."

Another step forward and Eddie circled his arms around my waist, pulling me to him "And what do you think about that?"

With a small shrug my smile faded a little "I think that you're dealing with a lot right now and as much as I want to act on my feelings, I don't want to push you." Brown met brown in a dueling stare, the darker shade of his winning out in intensity but I suspected mine were winning out in vulnerability "I don't want to get hurt."

Something flashed across Eddie's face, almost like shock. "I don't want to hurt you" Eddie replied with the upmost sincerity.

And in a moment where Mel's influence seemed to take over, my mouth ran off before my head could catch up "But you have the power to." I was being honest and that terrified me. And I think it terrified him. My feelings for Eddie had grown far beyond that of a fan girl crush and he needed to know that.

"I want to try this Loren I want to give it a shot but…"

"Let's take it slow" I offered, knowing that that is where he had been headed. "And we can keep it quiet for as long as you want as well, I know the media would have a field day if they found out."

"You're okay with that?"

I could tell that asking me to keep us quiet was hard on Eddie because he didn't want to put me in a position I wasn't comfortable with. "Can I still do this?" I cupped his face and brought his face down to mine so that our lips could brush in a gentle goodnight kiss.

Eddie's arms soon circled around me tighter, forcing my back to arch and cause me to rely, slightly, on Eddie's strength to hold me up. The tip of my nose grazed his lightly as we began to pull away and our eyes both opened slowly before Eddie allowed his forehead on rest on mine and held my gaze "Anytime."

Another kiss and five minutes later Eddie was back in his car backing out of our driveway as I closed the front door, letting myself lean against it as the night's events replayed in my head.

What I didn't expect was the living room lamp to turn on suddenly and for my mom to be lying on the couch, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Loren? Did you just get home?"

I removed my purse from my shoulder and walked into the living room, grateful for the bit of light coming from it "Yeah, what are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you," she said as she sat up and patted the spot in front of her as she sat cross legged. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You kind of ran out of here after hearing the news."

The look of uncertainty and fear that sparkled in her eyes let me know that my opinion meant the world to her, and that she needed me. For over seventeen years my mom and I had been a team, we had supported each other through every change and new development that life had to throw at us. Even in her marriage to Don, it was clear that that wasn't going to change. "I was a little shocked at first" I admitted as I leaned forward and placed my hand on my mom's currently flat stomach "but I'm happy too."

Mom held her arms open then wrapped them around me, "I'm so glad to hear you say that." She kissed the top of my head and then dropped her arms from around me, shooting me a questioning look "So were you with Eddie tonight?"

And just like that the baby subject was dropped. I couldn't fight my smile as I nodded carefully, knowing her reservations about our relationship "I was talking to him about the baby and we hung out at his dad's club for a little while."

She nodded, too tired to see that I was holding something back and then stood "Did you have fun?"

"It was a magical night" I said as I too stood and kissed her cheek "but I'm exhausted so I'm going to head to bed. You should too."

There was no argument "Goodnight Lo."

"Night Mom." I watched as she made her way down the hall, barely picking her feet up off the ground.

Then, as I made my way to own room, the tips of my fingers gently rested on my lips. In some ways I could still feel his lips on mine. And in my dreams, I would relive those kisses over and over again. Needless to say, sleep found me quickly that night.

**Hey guys, I know I haven't updated in a while, unfortunately life got in the way and then I started getting sick on Thursday. Today, I'm very sick. However, I knew I had to get this out. You guys had waited long enough. **

**Now for questions:**

**How long will this story be? I honestly don't know. Over 30 chapters for sure, but I probably have enough planned to keep it going longer than that. Basically, if you keep reading, I'll keep writing. We JUST started the Leddie relationship so in some ways the story has just begun!**

**Will there be smut in this story? Yes and because of that I may change the rating in the near future. Would anyone be completely opposed to that? **

**Will Max and Nora get together? I do plan to bring that relationship into the story in the next few chapters. There's a whole story line planned for them. Just keep reading and be patient. **

**Will there be another Loren/Chloe interaction? But of course! Once news breaks of Leddie, Chloe won't be happy about it. ;)**

**If you have a question, send it to me in a review or PM! I'm happy to answer any and all!**

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	16. Count On Me

"_If you ever forget how much you really mean to me,__  
Every day I will remind you"_

_-Count on me by Bruno Mars_

It started in kindergarten, back in the days when my mom still picked out my clothes, which generally consisted of a pair of (what was then deemed fashionable) overalls. Back then my hair was constantly a head of frizzy, seemingly unmanageable curls and my heart a little tattered and worn. That's when I met Melissa. I sat in the back corner of the kindergarten classroom, flipping through the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, admiring the pictures and occasionally giving myself a mental pat on the back for being able to make out a word or two, and that's when an olive skinned girl with then, shoulder length brown hair, sat down beside me. Back then, Melissa's mother dressed her too. It's sometimes hard to remember Mel as the girl in the grey button down shirt and black pants who made a sour face at the sight of the pictured green eggs and ham. It's hard to imagine Mel in anything other than bright neon colours.

I remember coming home from school that day and telling my mom all about the girl who had sat next to me during playtime, who joined me in the sandbox during recess and sat across from me during snack time. I told my mom that the girl's name was Melissa but that all of her friends, presumably, called her Mel. I told my mom that Melissa had told me to call her Mel, because we were friends now. Just like that.

Those were the thoughts running through my head as I drove to the café where Mel was holding her eighteenth birthday party. We had known each other for over half of our lives, since that first day of kindergarten we had been inseparable, always leaning on each other, always relying on one another, telling the other everything that happened in our day to day lives and knowing that even the smallest accomplishment or joyful news would mean just as much to the other. That's why I knew, that even though today was her day, as was every March 2nd, as she had me memorize shortly after our proclaimed friendship by way of circling the date with red marker on my puppy calendar; she would be just as elated as I was when I told her about my kiss with Eddie last night.

Then it happened, it was out of nowhere, in the blink of an eye a blur of silver hit the side of my car, sending my wheels spinning and ramming me off the road. My entire body jerked forward, causing me to hit my head on the steering wheel and just as quickly my body jerked back harshly against the seat. It took a few seconds of stunned stillness for me to blink and register what had happened. Then, I slowly made my way out of my car and at the same time, two familiar blonde figures were climbing out of the sleek, silver car; Adriana and Kim. For some reason I wasn't surprised.

"Are you guys okay?" They both looked a little rattled, both wide eyed and jaws hanging open slightly.

Suddenly, Adriana's eyes narrowed in my direction, her arms now crossed over her chest though not in a tough or intimidating way, but rather in security and protectively. "Yeah, no thanks to you" she snapped.

I was a little taken back by her demeanor "You ran into me Adriana. You practically flew out of that alley way."

Neither of us really had the energy or mind set to continue the argument so we were both somewhat relieved when a policeman pulled up beside us about five minutes later. He took our statements and called a tow truck for both of our cars at which point I grabbed Mel's gift from my backseat and placed it on the curb.

When we tried to get a hold of our parents, neither were picking up and I wasn't all that surprised. I knew they were attending a gala of some sort and it made sense that they would have their phones on silent.

Adriana then began dialing number after number trying to find someone to pick her and Kim up. I tried my mom a few more times but when she didn't answer I tried Adam, whose phone went straight to voicemail. I didn't want to call Mel and interrupt her party. She deserved a fun, drama free night. Instead I called Eddie and when he didn't pick up I started to get a little nervous. Eventually Adriana got a hold of her and Kim's friend Natalie and within ten minutes the brunette was there picking both girls up. Not bothering to offer me a ride.

The policeman offered to give me a ride to the station until someone could be reached but I had one last number I could think to try and quickly looked up the number for the MK club on my phone before dialing.

"MK, this is Grace" the music in the background almost seemed to be in the foreground and voices were carrying like an over produced bass track.

"Hey Grace, its Loren, is Max there?"

"Yeah, just a sec" I heard the faint sound of heels clicking against a floor and then Grace's voice rang out once again, only this time it wasn't directed at me "Hey boss, it's for you."

I faintly heard Max thank Grace before his voice became clearly audible in my ear "Hello?"

"Hi Max its Loren, Eddie's friend?"

"Of course, how are you Loren?" His voice rose in pitch, obviously surprised by my call.

Letting out a heavy sigh, my face scrunched up from embarrassment "I'm so sorry to bother you I just didn't know who else to call, my mom and step dad aren't answering their phones and it's Melissa's birthday so I don't want to bother her, I tried calling a friend but he had his phone off and I tried Eddie but he didn't answer and I was in an accident and my car-"

"An accident, are you alright?" His concern ran blatant.

"I'm fine, but my car's getting towed right now and I can't get a hold of anyone to come pick me up." My free hand rose to my forehead as a pulsing pain shot through it.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in North Hollywood about five blocks from Tujunga Ave" I said as I walked over to the curb and sat down, the police officer's eyes locked on me.

"Alright, stay put, Eddie's actually around here somewhere so I'll grab him and we'll be on our way."

If Eddie was at MK it would explain why he didn't answer his phone, he probably didn't hear it ring. "Thank you so much."

"Of course sweetheart" we both hung up and I informed the officer that my ride would be here shortly. He insisted on waiting with me which I was actually a little grateful for. Being a young woman on the side of the road, at night in Los Angeles was not the safest of situations.

About twenty minutes later a familiar black car pulled up beside the crash and as soon as the car came to a stop the passenger door swung open and before I could even really blink I was on my feet, wrapped in Eddie's arms. "Are you okay?" I could feel Eddie's heart racing in his chest as he held me. "You're shaking."

Was I? I hadn't noticed. "I'm okay it was just kind of scary."

"Who hit you?" It was Max who asked the next question. I hadn't even noticed him get out of the car.

Eddie pulled away slightly, leaving one arm around my waist, holding my body close to his. Max seemed to take notice. "It was my step sister, Adriana. She flew out of the alley over there" I pointed to the back alley behind the row of small stores. "I didn't see her car until she hit me."

As the Duran boys looked in the direction I had pointed, my hand shot up, once again, to my forehead as I took a sharp intake of breath. Eddie's gaze fell back on me instantly "What's wrong?"

I met his worried filled eyes, "I hit my head on the steering wheel I'm fine though."

The officer then spoke up as the tow truck drove away "You'd better get that looked at ma'am." But his eyes weren't on me instead they seemed to be set on Eddie. "Are you Eddie Duran?" He didn't wait for Eddie to respond, obviously already knowing the answer "My girlfriend is a huge fan. Do you mind if I get an autograph?" He pulled out a note pad and pen.

"Sure" Eddie reluctantly left my side and scribbled on the piece of paper before handing it back to the officer. He then took a stance in front of me, cupping my face in his hands "We should take you to the hospital to get checked out."

I shook my head, allowing my hands to rest on his "I'm fine, I promise. I'll have Don check me out tonight when he gets home but I really have to get the café. It's Mel's birthday and I'm over an hour late."

Eddie looked to his dad, obviously unhappy with my response. Max sighed and ran a hand over his face "Eddie why don't you drop me off at the club and then you can go with Loren to the party and keep an eye on her and take her home afterwards. Stay with her until her step dad looks at her though okay?"

I knew I didn't have a say in any of this, but I was grateful for their concern and I wasn't honestly going to complain about Eddie being by my side all night.

Max got out of the car when we pulled up to the club, but before heading inside he had me roll down my window and give him my cell phone at which point he programmed his cell number. "If you ever need anything, like tonight, don't hesitate to call me again okay?" I couldn't help it; I climbed out of the car and gave him a hug, whispering my thanks for his kindness and generosity. His response was simple "You're important to my son, therefore you're important to me" he whispered.

During the drive to the café, Eddie continuously seemed to glance in my direction. His eyebrows pulled together in concern, waiting for me to say something, waiting for me to assure him, once again, that I was okay. "I'm okay, really." I was beginning to understand that no matter how many times I said that, I wasn't going to be believed. "_I'm fine_" I stressed, as Eddie's glance once again was removed from the road.

Pulling up in front of the café, Eddie shook his head "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?" His question didn't dignify an answer in my mind, I decided, as I stepped out of the car, grabbing Mel's present from his backseat. "Fine" he sighed, finally admitting defeat "but at the first sign of faintness I'm hauling you there kicking or screaming."

"Noted" I replied as I pulled the café door and held it open for him. Eddie, however, being the gentleman that he was, took hold of the door and gestured me inside first.

When we entered the café, conversations seemed to cease and all eyes fell on us, or rather Eddie. Mel scooted out of the booth that she was currently seated in and raced over to us, throwing her arms around me "It's about time. I was about to alert the nation guard." She pulled away from me, a questioning look ablaze on her face but then her eyes shifted behind me, taking in Eddie's presence and the look on her face softened, a small smirk gracing her lips as a knowing, pensive look took over her features "But I guess I don't need to ask what kept you."

My lips hardened in a straight line at the accusation "_Actually_, I got into a car accident and Eddie and his dad had to come pick me up."

Suddenly Melissa's entire demeanor changed, "What? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Adriana happened" with Mel, that was enough said.

"I hate that girl."

Pushing all negativity aside, I draped my arm over Mel's shoulders "So what presents have you gotten so far, any ponies?"

With a long dramatic sigh, Mel shook her head "No, but I did score a few H&M gift cards and Adam burnt a CD for me. Cali and Carissa bought me a bunch of nail polish." Mel's eyes were suddenly glued to the wrapped box in my hand "But I have a feeling none of that will compare to whatever is in there."

I smiled and handed the box over to her, at which point she placed it on one of the tables and tore the wrapping paper off, then opened the box that held her gift. As her hands disappeared in the box, grasping the gift, her eyes widened in shock or disbelief and her jaw came unhinged. "Lo" she let out a small breath of air as she said my name. "No." Apparently it was disbelief.

Mel lifted the gift out of the box, revealing an HD video camera, "Yup, it's all charged up and ready to go. All you have to do is press record." I let out a small laugh as Mel threw her-self at me, engulfing me in a one armed hug, the other resting the video camera on the length of her forearm.

"Thank you! It's beautiful!"

"You're welcome" I replied, giving her a tight squeeze before we both pulled away "my mom pitched it too, so it's from the both of us."

A look of sheer gratitude softened her t-zone, "Thank her for me too."

"I will" and then the video camera was pointed at my face. "What are you doing?"

As if that was the most idiotic question Mel had ever heard, she let out a scoff, "It's my eighteenth birthday Lo, I need to commemorate the occasion to have for when I'm old, wearing power pink lipstick way off my lip line, a proud owner of a reindeer Christmas sweater and don't remember my grandkids names. Now, say something wonderful about me and keep in mind that this is going on my blog."

I shook my head at my best friend's antics "And I assume you'll just edit the explanation out of the beginning?"

She nodded "Movie magic" she sang. "Now compliment me!"

Growing a little self-conscious as I noticed all attention was on me, waiting for me to speak, I looked into the camera and while at a loss for words I sang; _"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Melissa, happy birthday to you."_ Then I blew a kiss and said "Happy birthday Mel, I love you."

Seeing as how I never really sang for Mel, discounting singing along to Katy Perry in the car of course, I knew that singing for her meant a lot to her and that was confirmed when a tear slipped past her water line and began a slow journey down her olive cheek as her free hand was placed on her heart.

"My turn" Adam announced as he forced Mel to turn the camera towards him and then pointed to Den "give me a beat!"

Den began drumming on the back of a chair allowing Adam to commence his happy birthday interpretive dance, therefore catching everyone's attention.

It was then that I made my way over to Eddie who was seated at one of the tables near the door, beside a window. "How are you feeling?" He asked as I pulled out a chair beside him and took a seat. My head was still hurting a little, but other than that I honestly felt fine and that's exactly what I told Eddie. "If you start getting dizzy or-"

I rested my hand on Eddie's knee under the table, mindful of the fact that nearly twenty people were around. "I'll let you know, I promise." Eddie's hand then rested on top of mine, filling me with a warmth and a sense of security.

"Hey Loren" managing to tear my eyes away from Eddie's for a moment, I turned to see Cameron standing beside the table, his eyes questioning but his smile appearing to be inviting and kind. "Nice to see you again Eddie" Cameron reached across from me, extending a hand towards Eddie.

"You too" Eddie replied, shooting me a quick, weary glance before shaking Cameron's hand.

"So Loren, are you going on that trip over spring break?" Spring break was still about a month away but some kids from school were already planning a trip to Mexico.

Personally, I didn't understand the hype about the whole thing, "No, I'll just hanging around here over the break. What about you?"

Cameron shrugged "Same here." And then the silence kicked in, the awkward silence to be more specific.

That said I was incredibly relieved when Mel showed up at the table, camera in hand waving it between Cameron and Eddie "I think you two should give me a birthday shout for my blog. Remember to stick to the fabulous things."

Eddie simply smiled at Mel's assertiveness before looking directly into the camera "Hey guys Eddie Duran here, and I want to wish my good friend Melissa a very happy birthday. You guys should definitely check out her blog, she's going to a huge director one day so you should get familiar with her work now; happy birthday Mel."

After Eddie finished Mel lowered her camera, a wide set grin on her face and her eyes winded a little beyond normality "That was awesome. I'm going to get so many hits when I post this, thanks Eddie."

"No problem and happy birthday."

I felt Eddie squeeze my hand as Mel's grin spread even further "Thank you. That means a lot." Then Mel's camera was on Cameron, just as he had begun to walk away "Now you. Come back here and say something." Mel followed Cameron to the counter, her camera fixated on him.

When I realized we were alone again, or as alone as we could be in this café, I turned back to Eddie "Thank you for that, I think you made her year."

My one hand was now encased by both of Eddie's, his fingertips tracing the length of mine "She's a good friend to you. It was the least I could do." The florescent lights sparkled in the reflection of his dark brown eyes, the light almost dancing across his pupils. It was enchanting and made the urge to lean forward and kiss him that much harder to bite back.

"I'm sorry about tonight" I said suddenly, causing Eddie's eyebrows to pull together, the soft and sweet stare we had just been exchanging now broken in a moment of confusion and curiosity. "You were at MK when I called your dad and I'm sure hanging out at an eighteenth birthday party in the Valley wasn't exactly your idea of a stellar Saturday night."

At my explanation, Eddie's lips pulled upwards in a soft smile as he pulled me to my feet and out the door of the café into the cool night air, the soft wind tangible against my skin. I followed him wordlessly down the sidewalk until he slipped behind a small building "What are you-?"

And just like that, his lips were on mine. His hands held my face, his body trapping mine between him and the brick wall of the building, my arms wrapped around his neck. Coherent thoughts escaped my mind and instead of listening to the nagging, over processed and over analyzed echoes in my head I listened to the rapid pattern of my heart beat. I listened to the fire that spread through my body as Eddie's hand traveled down my neck and arm and eventually rested on my waist, gently grasping it and holding me closer to him.

Something was different about this kiss, and while I didn't have much experience in that field I felt pretty secure in that deduction. His lips moved against mine in a hurried, caressing manner. Anytime he seemed to notice his hold on me loosening he would tense and pull me closer once again, trapping even the wind from being able to pass through us. This kiss, as wonderful and as intoxicating as it was, it was also full of worry, full of desire, full of self assurance. It was as if he was proving to himself that I was really with him, in his arms, kissing him back, holding him just as tightly as he held me.

My arms slowly unwrapped themselves from around Eddie's neck, my hands instead resting on his cheeks and gently pushing his face away from mine just enough so that our lips were hovering instead of touching and our noses grazed one another's.

Four brown eyes were now staring into each other as we both took in the heavy gasps of air, "What's wrong?" The words barely escaped my lips as a whisper.

**Hey everyone, I know it's been quite a while, some personal things came up and unfortunately it's been hard for me to find the time and drive to write. However, I want to thank everyone found this story during the small hiatus and began to follow, favourite and review it. Every email made me so unbelievably happy! Not to mention, I've passed 200 reviews! What?! That's crazy! THANK YOU ALL!**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the HH finale as much as I did! I cried, screamed, shrieked, squealed and laughed. It was a fantastic episode. If there is no season 2, they at least ended the series on a high note. Though I really hope there is a season 2, there is still SO much that can be done with that story. (Leddie proposal anyone?) **

**Stay classy, and until next time (I'll try for Sunday but if not for sure early next week.) **

**-Tia **


	17. Everything Has Changed

"_All I know is a newfound brightness__, __all my days I'll know your face.__  
__All I know since yesterday is everything has changed."_

_-Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran_

We sat backs against the cool red bricks, Eddie's legs extended out in front of him, mine bent and tucked to my side. The rough, gravel tattered road softened by Eddie's leather jacket that he had laid out for us to sit on, forcing us to sit that much closer, sharing body heat, hearing each inhaled and exhaled breath perfectly.

My chin was rested on Eddie's shoulder as he spoke, recalling the memory of the phone call he had received the night of the accident that had claimed his mother's life. He had barely looked at me since he had begun the story, the words and thoughts taking him back in time to relive the moments. His eyes clouded over with recollection. "Nothing can ever compare to the hell I went through when I lost my mom, but when my dad came up to me tonight and said you had been in an accident…" his words trailed off, emotion finding claim over his words.

Hearing that, the pain and fear that weighed down his words clung to my heart, making it sink to the pit of my stomach. It was the first time since meeting Eddie that I realized his feelings for me may have actually matched mine for him. "I'm fine." I said lamely, not really knowing what to say but knowing that I needed to say something.

"I know" a small smile appeared and disappeared on his face as fast as it takes to blink. "It just brought back those memories, and I honestly don't think I could stand losing someone else that I care about."

With my chin on his on his shoulder, my lips were close enough to his ear that I knew even whispered, he would hear my words of lame assurance "You won't lose me." Then his head turned to face me and I lifted my chin a few inches so our eyes could reach a more mutual level. "I'm not going anywhere."

Quickly, his eyes traveled down to my lips and back to my eyes and slowly, as his head inched closer to mine his eyes repeated the journey until our lips met in a kiss. This one was sweet and simple, lingering a few seconds longer than a peck but lacking the fire and heat from the one before. Personally I didn't have a preference. I just wanted him close.

"I'm glad you're okay" he whispered, his breath tickling my lips.

My hand lifted and rested on his cheek, my thumb gently caressing it as he leaned into my touch "I can't say the same for my car" I replied with a small wince, "my mom's going to kill me."

At that, Eddie let out a small laugh biting my bait of distraction and heading into a more uplifting conversation "I think she'll just be glad that you're okay."

"Maybe" I let my shoulders raise closer to my ears before dropping them quickly, "at the very least I'll share blame with Adriana."

Genuine curiosity overcame Eddie "What was she doing in that alley anyway?"

I let out a big sigh. I would lying if I said that I hadn't thought of that myself "It's probably best if we stay in the dark about that because I'm guessing it was nothing good."

Eddie's hand was then on top of mine and eventually took hold of it, letting the tips of his fingers trace the lines on my palm "I just think it's interesting that the two of you actually have quite a bit in common and yet you turned out completely different."

My eyes remained linked to the hand that Eddie was holding as small butterflies began to flutter around in my stomach at the feather light touch of his fingertips "We don't have that much in common."

His motions stopped as he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it before resting it on his lap both of his hands encasing it in warmth. "You both had a parent walk out and were forced to grow up in a single parent household."

"Well yeah but in Adriana's case that meant growing up in mansion and having everything she wanted. She never had to work for anything." Eddie's eyebrows shot up accusingly "I'm not jealous" I stressed, reading him like a book "she just had it a lot easier than I did. And besides, I barely remember my dad."

Draping his arm around my shoulders, and pulling me closer he let out a heavy sigh "I didn't mean to bring all that up."

I shrugged as I let my head rest gently on his shoulder "It's okay, I'm sorry I brought up your mom."

"To be honest, I don't mind talking about her with you. It's hard with my dad because he's still grieving and when I'm with him I just want to distract him, that's why I pushed him to open the club." My heart instantly went out to Max. His and Katy's love story was one I knew very well thanks to my mom and they had truly seemed like they were meant to be. Their love had a harmony to it that couldn't be explained, much like their voices. It just was. "The only person I ever really talked to about my mom was…" we both knew he didn't need to finish that sentence.

Honestly, I didn't think it was possible for me to dislike Chloe more than I already did but day by day she was proving me wrong. With Eddie though, I knew I needed to bite my tongue. He was hurting still, even if he wouldn't admit that. "Maybe that's why Chloe came into your life" I offered, trying to explain it to both Eddie and myself. "Her motives were twisted and beguiled but regardless she helped you through a really hard time."

Eddie turned his head so that he was looking down at me and I lifting my gaze to meet his "I'm starting to think you're much more of a glass half person than you care to admit."

I rolled my eyes before lifting my head off of his shoulder quickly jumping to my feet, extending my hand down towards him "We should get back to the party."

Taking my hand, Eddie brought himself to his feet as well but as I turned away and took a step out towards the sidewalk he took hold of my hand, pulling me back "One more thing." And with that his lips were on mine, his arms wrapping around my waist holding me to his chest.

Smiling into the kiss, I placed my hands on his chest feeling his heartbeat. His lips brushed mine, savoring taste, latching onto the essence and all too soon I felt him begin to pull away. The pressure from his lips lightened but still lingered for a few short seconds, not yet ready to dispense the intimate act. When our lips finally peeled apart, mine parted slightly allowing air to enter my lungs through the small gateway. How he continued to take my breath away was incredulous.

Neither of us said anything else as we made our way back to the café where Mel and Adam were acting out a scene from The Godfather, earning a round of applause and a few chuckles. Some girls from Mel's History class had already latched onto Eddie, batting their lashes and twirling their hair as they asked question after question. Eddie answered kindly, completely unfazed as he had obviously experienced it thousands of times before.

"That can't be good for your eyesight" I heard Mel say from beside me.

"What?" I broke my gaze away from Eddie and focused on Mel who was giving me a knowing look.

She shook her head with the upmost of amusement "Isn't bad for your eyesight to stare a star too long?"

"You're thinking of an eclipse" she rolled her eyes at my correction. "Besides, I wasn't staring."

We both knew that was a lie. "Yeah and I'm capable of using my inside voice."

"You don't have an inside voice."

A triumphant smile graced her lips "Exactly." Her eyes shifted back towards Eddie as her eyebrows pulled together questioningly "Where did you two disappear to anyway?" She bumped her hip with mine teasingly "Did you go make-out in a back alley?"

The lack of verbal denial or eye roll and presence of a guilty smile was enough for Mel's eyes to widen with complete understanding. Therefore, she took me by the hand and dragged me into the washroom where she proceeded to lock the door and turned to face me with a not so shocked but rather 'it's about damn time' smile. I knew I was found out. I knew there was no point in hiding it and in truth I had planned on telling her about the kiss. Just not quite like this. "He kissed me."

"Oh my god" In typical Mel fashion giddiness grew, her smile taking up most of her face and her dark brown eyes glistening from wonder and excitement as she lifted her body onto the washroom counter, her legs swinging back and forth like a Grandfather clock, ticking away the seconds, waiting for me to elaborate and jump full throttle into the story "Details!"

My head drooped downward from slight embarrassment, but mostly because Mel's smile was contagious and I was afraid that if my smile grew any larger it may actually break my face. "I was talking to him about my reservations about the baby and he told me that I will make a great older sister-"

"Which you will" Mel added, knowing my reservations from our two hour long phone conversation this morning.

Deciding to brush past her statement I continued "Anyway, we were just talking and the sun was setting and the next thing I knew he was kissing me."

Mel leaned forward a little, obviously wanting more "How was it?" Against my better judgment, I glanced up at Mel, my smile instantly growing "That good huh?" She chuckled as my face began to burn red.

I shook my head, trying desperately to shake the embarrassment off as I lifted my body onto the counter beside Mel "For the first time in my life I feel incredibly happy and terrified at the same time."

"I know what you mean" her words were sighed, airy almost, as if they held a double meaning.

Her head slowly turned away from my line of vision, masking her emotions. "Mel…"

Then she whipped her head back around "Adam kissed me tonight."

"What, when?"

Melissa shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal when she knew for a fact, that that was not a possibility "While you and Eddie were off indulging your senses with a taste of sweet passion fruit."

I playfully slapped her arm, "Stop that." We both filled the washroom with a fit of laughter. "So how was it?"

"Perfect" she replied dreamily. "And a little awkward" she added as an afterthought. "But mostly perfect." We both grew quiet for a few minutes, allowing ourselves to breathe in the pure euphoria of the recent happenings. "Can you believe we both have guys at the same time and more to the point, that you're dating Eddie _freaking_ Duran?"

"We're not dating" I countered. "We're keeping things quiet for now and just getting to know each other and seeing where things go."

Without missing a beat Mel rolled her eyes exasperated "Oh please, you both have that tortured artist, incredibly talented, golden heart and yet incredibly good looking thing going for you. It would be a crime against humanity if you didn't get together. What's the hold up?"

"What's going on with you and Adam?" Mel's eyes narrowed at my transparent attempt of deflection. "Did he ask you to the spring dance?"

"Not yet but he will and don't change the subject, we're supposed to be talking about you."

"It's your birthday" I argued. "Today should be all about you."

Suddenly Mel's lips curved upwards, a sly and mischievous look adorning her face "Yes, it should be and I want to talk about you and the fact that you've bent reality to your will and are now dating the boy that you've been fanaticizing about since we were fifteen."

Knowing that this was a battle I had no chance in winning, I put my armor down. "He and Chloe just broke up Mel."

"Yeah like a month ago." In Mel's mind everyone should do what they want when they want, damn the consequences and damn the opinion of others.

"A month ago he thought he was going to marry Chloe and spend a lifetime with her. Suddenly all of the lies came to light and he realized he was engaged to a complete stranger. Then I came along. Neither of us expected this, you know?"

Mel's features softened and I could tell that her serious and sensible side was about to come out. It was a side I didn't get to see too often. "Well, you're nothing like Chloe. In time Eddie will see that and realize that he's never going to find anyone better than you Miss Loren Tate."

The sweet and simple smile that spread onto my face was a nonverbal declaration of gratitude. "We have time" I replied. "We're taking it slow."

"Well" Mel jumped off the counter in a huff "at least you're finally taking it somewhere."

"Like you and Adam?"

Again, her eyes narrowed in my direction "I don't know what's going with Adam and I but I will keep you in the loop."

"I appreciate that. Now let's go see if there are any more cupcakes left" I said as I unlocked the door.

Mel blew past me, declaring "Oh, there better be!"

Half an hour and two cupcakes later, the café was starting to empty. Everyone was saying one last Happy Birthday to Mel and then stepping out the door, disappearing into the veil of the night sky.

Adam and Eddie were taking all of Mel's presents out to her car while I began clearing the tables, bringing the coffee cups behind the counter and throwing the cupcake liners in the trash bin.

As I began wiping down a booth with a warm cloth I felt a presence behind me and turned around to see Cameron standing there, a hand full of cupcake liners "Where's the garbage?"

I set the cloth down and took the liners from him "I've got it" I walked behind the counter, throwing them in the trash before walking back around to see Cameron continuing to wipe the table down for me. "I didn't peg you as the busboy type."

Cameron shot me one of his signature school boy smiles "I figured it was the only way I get to talk to you. Between Eddie and Melissa, it's been hard to get you alone." I took a quick glance around realizing that we were the only ones left in the café. Mel must have gone to help the boys load her car.

Things with Cameron were still a little strange and I didn't know where we stood. I thought we were friends but I also knew he wanted more. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"The spring dance in a few weeks? Are you going with anyone?"

A sympathetic smile spread onto my lips as I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear "Dances aren't really my thing."

"I'm asking as a friend" he clarified. "I know you said you didn't want anything more than that and I respect that."

Perhaps bluntness would work. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Because of Eddie" he said it more as a statement than a question.

"Because of us" I replied firmly, my patience wearing thin. "I've got a lot going on right now and I don't want to be added to the high school rumor mill more than I already am. If we went to the dance, even as friends, people would talk."

"And that's bad?" I could tell I was hurting his feelings, the way his jaw line tightened and his eyes grew distant.

"I just don't need that right now."

"Because of Eddie" there was that statement again.

I shook my head, trying to disapparate the frustration that had begun to blind my otherwise perfect vision. "Why does everything have to come back to Eddie between us?"

"Because you're in love with him Loren" strangely enough, what shocked me wasn't the words but rather the matter-of-fact way in which they were spoken. "Look me in the eye and tell me that Eddie has nothing to do with you not giving me a chance, that if the two of you hadn't become friends you still wouldn't be giving me the time of day."

With a quickened heartbeat and suddenly tensed posture I ran a hand through my hair as I let out a staggered breath "I've told you that a million times Cameron but you don't seem to want to hear it." I was angry and frustrated with the accusation. I felt he didn't have a right.

"I can't compete with him."

"No one's asking you to." We both held each other's gaze for a minute too long because when Mel, Adam and Eddie came back into the café the tension that had risen was incredibly obvious.

Shifting my weight from one foot to the other, I retracted my gaze to fall anywhere but on Cameron whose eyes I could still feel on me, judging my movements or waiting for my eyes to meet his once again. When the silence had grown to be obnoxiously loud, Cameron grabbed the jacket he had hung on the back of a chair earlier in the night and stormed out of the café, purposefully slamming the door on his way out.

Mel slowly made her way towards me, careful to step only on the tips of her toes and not allow her heels to meet the tiled floor. "Is everything okay?" My gaze lifted, meeting Mel's as I offered a reassuring smile before my eyes locked with Eddie's who then glanced back out the café door, watching Cameron climb into his car and drive away. "Lo?" Mel's voice pulled me back into the room as I too watched Cameron's car disappear around the corner, his accusation now hanging in the air or rather sitting directly in front of me like an elephant. "Are you sure you're okay? What was that all about with Cameron?"

With a sudden pulse of pain shooting through my head, my hand flew to my forehead as I felt my face tighten and my lips form in a straight line "Everything's fine" I managed to reply before Eddie was by my side forcing my eyes to look into his "I'm fine."

"So you keep saying" but this time I had the feeling he wasn't going to let it slide "I should get you home." And I was right.

Laced with concern, Mel brought me in for a hug whispering words of thanks for my presence and gift and then ordered Eddie to get me home safe and march me straight up to bed. And he did just that.

When we arrived back at my house my mom and Don were still out and Adriana was nowhere to be found. Eddie followed me up the stairs, always two steps behind in case I lost my balance and fell. I didn't have the heart to tell him that normally when I fell on the stairs I fell up, my nose usually hitting the edge of a stair above me. It was a gift.

In my room, Eddie sat on the bed while I made my way into the bathroom to change. I removed my makeup, brushed through my hair and brushed my teeth before opening the door and turning the light off. "You've certainly made yourself comfortable." Lying flat on my bed was Eddie, one arm bent behind his head and the other hugging Bex, the teddy bear my grandparents had given to me as a baby. He was a little tattered and worn with his left eye missing and a small tuff of stuffing sticking out of his right ear but I refused to let him go. "I see you met Bex."

Eddie patted the bed beside him, wordlessly telling me to join him "How long have you had him."

"Her" I corrected immediately earning a small chuckle from Eddie. "And since I was born, my grandparents bought her for me when my mom went into labor."

I sat cross legged beside Eddie, facing him, watching as he seemed to drift in and out of the room, his thoughts getting away with him. "How old was your mom when she had you?" It was no secret that my mom was a young mom, you could tell that just by looking at her. In all honestly, I was surprised it had taken this long for Eddie to ask.

"She was nineteen. My parents got married a few weeks after they found out she was pregnant." I reached underneath the bed to grab a photo album that I kept hidden. One my mom had tried to dispose of fourteen years ago.

The memory was a vivid one. My dad had been gone for three days at that point. No note, no phone call. His drawers had been completely emptied with the exception of a few pairs of socks that no longer had a match. He had left all the family photos behind, even taking the one of me out of his wallet and placing it on the kitchen table beside a small pile of twenties he had also left behind. I remember mom crying to my Grandmother on the phone stating that that amount of cash would barely cover the week's worth of groceries.

That night, after mom had finally finished crying, she left her room. The sound of the front door opening and closing waking me up, and in true four year old curiosity I peeped out my bedroom window to see her tossing something in the garbage can. I waited until she had returned to her room and a few minutes after that until the sound of her gentle snore let me know that she had fallen asleep. I then tiptoed out of my room, down the hall and barely managed to reach the lock on the door before swinging it open.

The cold concrete against my tiny feet forced me to move quickly down the walkway. At the end of the street I opened the garbage can and pulled out the black album with the words Glory Days written in silver on the front cover.

Skipping ahead to the second half of the album, I pointed to a picture of my mom holding up her first ultrasound picture. Eddie pointed to the young man standing behind her, his smile a little more forced and far less bright than my mom's but still seemingly happy "Is that-?"

With a quick nod I confirmed, "That's my dad."

Eddie continued to flip through the album, where every picture included my dad but took note of the dozens of empty photo sleeves. "My mom took out all of the pictures that didn't include him before throwing the album out."

"Why did you keep it?"

His guess was as good as mine. "At first it was because I was convinced he would come back and when it became clear that he never would I guess it was all I had left to hold onto. Whenever I feel his memory slipping away or see his face fading in my mind I bring out the photo album and it helps me remember." The sound of the front door closing forced me to slam the album shut and slide it back underneath my bed. The faint, muffled voices from downstairs could not be mistaken, Mom and Don were home.

Eddie followed me down the stairs and into the kitchen where Mom and Don had retreated to, Don reaching up to the cupboard to grab a fresh bottle of wine and Mom sitting on a stool, her heels already kicked off and the palm of her hand holding her head up as her eyes continually fell open and closed.

In order to make our presence known I cleared my throat. Don quickly looked up from the glass was pouring wine into and Mom lifted her head, startled awake. "Loren, what are you doing up?" Her eyes quickly shifted to Eddie in a questionable manner.

Naturally in order to explain the possible head injury I had to tell the whole story. It only took a few minutes but I could tell that the information was still being processed as Don proceeded to examine me, asking me to follow a light with my eyes and asking me questions that seemed completely ridiculous.

In the end I was diagnosed with a headache. There it is, if you ever needed the definition of anticlimactic. No concussion to be found.

Mom thanked Eddie for helping me and gave him a hug to show her gratitude and Eddie all too happily returned the hug telling her that it was his pleasure. Mom wasn't at all upset. She didn't even mention the car. Eddie was right, she was just glad that I was okay.

However, as Adriana came stumbling into the room clearly incapable of walking in a straight line and the smell of alcohol strongly on her breath, Mom excused herself from our company and went to assist Adriana get ready for bed. Don in the meantime disappeared into his office unable to even look at his daughter.

I walked Eddie to the door, reaching up onto my toes to give him a goodnight kiss, his hands rested on my hips gently moving his thumbs in a windshield wiper motion over the small bit of exposed skin between the hem of my pajama pants and the camisole I was wearing.

"By the way" I whispered against his lips, pulling away from him only slightly "Mel knows about us."

Eddie smiled down at me before catching my lips with his once again "I figured she would. Who else knows?" His nose gently grazed mine.

"My mom, who probably told Don and, Melissa might tell Adam." I wrapped my arms around his neck my curiosity getting the best of me. "Have you told anyone?"

With a small smile Eddie nodded, "My dad knows and Grace overheard. And Ian, he knows too."

"Can I meet Ian one day?" Eddie seemed genuinely surprised by my request and I hadn't meant to sound forward but I knew Ian was important to Eddie, Eddie's proclaimed only friend. "He's your best friend isn't he?"

"Next time he's in town" and then again, his lips began moving gently over mine, his tongue eventually slipping out past his teeth and past my parted lips tasting the cool minty after taste of my toothpaste. The sensations were new to me, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the least bit awkward about it. I had never been kissed like this. Up until a few weeks ago I had never been kissed period. But somehow, Eddie instantly made those feelings of awkwardness disappear as his hand pushed my hair away from my face, resting it on my cheek and taking my other hand in his and instinctually my body arched upwards, my chest pressing against his.

The impending breakaway was postponed a few seconds as we allowed our lips to linger before pulling apart completely. Eddie reached behind himself, twisting the doorknob and pulling it open before pecking my cheek "Goodnight Loren."

"Goodnight Eddie." Then he left, pulling the door closed behind him. I locked the door and turned off the front porch light before turning, allowing my back to rest against the door a smile on my face, my breathing slowly returning to normal as Cameron's words suddenly began to play through my mind like an echo, calling out to me, taunting me.

_You're in love with him. _

Was I?

**Have I told you all how much I love you? Since starting this fanfic I have received, on average, about 500 views. Today that number has jumped to over 2000! Obviously I was elated but also a little confused so I did a little digging and discovered that the reason for that (or at least a huge reason) is because someone posted the link to my story on tumblr and then people started talking about it on the tumblr Hollywood Heights tag. If anyone knows who posted about it please let me know, I'd love to send them a message of gratitude. **

**In light of this I have started my own blog on tumblr and will post the link on my FF profile soon. Right now it's just a blank page. If you are a tumblr user please let me know and send me your name so that I can start following you! **

**Thank you guys so much! Seriously! My birthday was on Monday but I feel like Mel, like one day wasn't enough so I've been having a birthweek. Nineteen is turning out to be quite the age and (say it with me now) **_**it's all because of you.**_** ;)**

**Stay classy.**

**-Tia**


	18. Moments

"_I wanna know everything about you.  
And I wanna go, down every road you've been.  
Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live, _

_Where you keep the rest of your life hid.  
I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare.  
Take me there."_

_-Take Me There by Rascal Flats_

There are moments that seem so simple and so insignificant that they tip toe past us barely noticed, rarely ever acknowledged. Sometimes we never truly know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. But ever since my dad left, leaving behind a bruised and battered four year old heart, I've tried to admire the moments that seem trivial because you never know which moments could be your last with someone. You never know which memory may be the last that you have to hold onto.

So even now, as Eddie and I lied in each other's arms on his couch, watching The Breakfast Club on TV, I told myself to remember this moment. Remember the way it felt to have Eddie's arms wrapped around my waist, our fingers laced together as our hands rested on my stomach. I took note of the way the moonlight shone in through the apartment's sheer curtains, glaring only slightly on the television screen. But mostly I wanted to remember the warmth I felt whenever Eddie's body was this close to mine and how potent that warmth became when trapped under the thin blanket that was draped over us. This was a simple moment, probably insignificant in the grand scheme of our relationship, but to me, this was a moment worth remembering.

When the credits began to roll on the screen, neither of us made any attempt to move out of the other's arms. Instead, my head only rolled so that I could look up at his handsome face and watch as the light from the television screen cast shadows upon it in the otherwise darkened room.

"What's your favourite book" he asked suddenly, his eyes traveling downwards to meet mine.

I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped past my lips "What?"

Eddie's shoulders lifted closely to his ears before dropping quickly, offering a simple shrug "I'm just wondering."

"What makes you think I even like to read?" I replied.

Eddie's eyebrows rose suggestively as a knowing smile spread across his lips "You blew me off every night this week to study for that English test you had today and you've been accepted into Brown University _and _half the time I'm with you, you get a text from Mel asking you for help on her pre-calc homework. I think it's safe to assume you're a bit of a book worm too. So what's your favourite book?"

"The Elegance of a Hedgehog," I said passively as I began to sit up "are you calling me a nerd?"

Pulling me back into his arms, Eddie shook his head "Mine's Huckleberry Finn."

Suddenly my nose scrunched up "I hate that book."

With a look of absolute incredulousness Eddie was the one to pull away this time "How can you hate Huckleberry Finn? It's a classic."

"And boring" I countered. "I read it a couple years ago and literally had to force myself to finish it. The only reason I did was because Adam loved it so much." Suddenly it made sense "Apparently, it's a guy's book."

"Favourite movie" he asked next as I turned to face him.

"Are we playing twenty questions or something?"

"I'm just trying to get to know you." His answer was so fluid, so quick. It was sweet.

Admittedly, I had to think about that one. "Pleasantville, I thought it was cute. What's your favourite colour?"

Eddie smiled at my participation "Blue."

It was funny, in the time I had known Eddie I felt as if I had grown to know him quite well. He had opened up to me about his mom and Chloe, and his reservations about the business. We had discussed the importance of music on ourselves and the world and how our music, often spoke the thoughts we were afraid to say aloud. He had told me that he constantly worried about his dad and that he loved when his tours would bring him to Paris, not for the romantic air or even the rich history but because of the way the moon reflects on the Sine at night as the lit up boats float by and the Eiffel tower sparkles in the distance. I knew where he went when he needed to think and escape the harsh realities of the world and yet up until a few seconds ago, I hadn't known his favourite colour.

"You do look hot in blue" I blurted out before my head could catch up with my mouth. Then, while closing my eyes in a state of humiliation, I turned my head away from him.

Letting out a small chuckle, Eddie rubbed my back comfortingly "Why are you so embarrassed? I'd be a little concerned if you didn't find me attractive."

Opening my eyes and turning back towards him, I gave him a dull look "Every girl in the world finds you attractive."

"But I don't care about every other girl." There was no use in trying to hold back the smile that was now alit on my face.

"… _and coming up on The Lily Park Show, an exclusive interview with Eddie's Duran's ex-fiancée Chloe Carter, stayed tuned."_

We both turned our heads towards the television. Eddie's once relaxed and care free stature now tensed and stiff. I slowly reached for the remote, lifting it from the glass table and carefully extending it towards Eddie "Do you want to change the channel?"

Eddie's gaze shifted to the remote for a moment before returning to the screen "No." Nodding, I placed the remote back on the table and lifted the blanket off of my lap. At that action, Eddie looked back towards me, taking my hand in his "Do _you_ want me to turn it?"

His expression was soft, obviously concerned that he had hurt me by wanting to watch the interview but I understood. I didn't like it and certainly didn't like Chloe, but I understood that Eddie was trying to find the door that would open and offer him some kind of closure. Moments like this, when I remembered that Eddie was still hurting and that a piece of him still loved Chloe, brought up of feelings of insecurity that I thought I had banished my freshmen year.

Then Chloe's picture flashed across the screen, her green eyes catching a glint of light and her blonde hair perfectly windblown in the photoshopped image where her pores were completely blurred away. I hated her for hurting Eddie, for being so manipulative and vindictive but I also hated her for being her; always impeccably put together, probably weighing the equivalent of my right leg and having teeth so fluorescently white and well aligned that I was certain they weren't real.

"Loren?"

I realized I hadn't answered Eddie's question, "It's okay" I replied, offering a weak smile. Seeing through it, Eddie reached for the remote but I stilled his hand forcing him to look at me "Really, it's fine." This time I was a little more convincing "I just hate that she's still a cloud that hovers over you. Even when she's not here, I can feel her presence." I could tell Eddie didn't know how to respond, there was no denying the fact that Eddie was still hurting, that hurt lessened everyday but it was still there.

As the interview began, Lily's show intro playing, Eddie leaned towards me, gently pressing his lips to mine. I gave a small smile as we pulled apart and took comfort in Eddie's actions as he pulled me into his arms, my back against his chest, his arms encircling me as his chin rested on my shoulder to view the screen.

"Good evening everyone, Lily Park reporting to you live from the apartment of Eddie Duran's ex-fiancée, Chloe Carter." This was one of the rare segments where Lily's hair was pulled back, tied into a tight bun on the top of her head. The camera panned out, showing Chloe on the couch beside Lily wearing a grim expression on her otherwise flawless face. "Chloe, reports have surfaced giving very vague details about your break up with Eddie. Now these reports suggest that you cheated on Eddie. Are those allegations true?"

"They are" Chloe replied in a simple manner "but there was so much more to it than that. The truth is that I was ashamed of my background, of where I came from and who I used to be. All I wanted to do was keep Eddie from finding out the truth. Someone from my past blackmailed me and gave me an ultimatum. I could either give into his fantasies, beginning an affair or Eddie would discover the truth. I made the wrong choice and not a day goes by that I don't regret it. It cost me the love of my life."

"And what was it about your past that you were trying to hide?" Lily appeared sympathetic towards Chloe, giving her a gentle smile but her eyes were hungry for more information, for the grit and grime of the story.

Chloe took a deep breath, shifting her eyes from Lily to the camera and at the same time I felt Eddie's arms tighten around me. "My birth name is Cynthia Kowalski and I was born in Fresno, California to Jacqueline Kowalski who is not dead, but very much alive."

Lily's eyes widened like saucers. Apparently Chloe hadn't been very truthful with her friends about her true self either. "Your mother's alive?"

"Yes she-" and then the screen went black.

After placing the remote back on the table, Eddie stood and began running his hands through his hair in obvious frustration. "Are you okay?" I asked as I stood as well, making my way towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I wish I could just throw my feelings for her away. I wish…" he stopped midsentence, trailing off as he eyed me, worried of what he had been about to say.

"You wish you didn't still love her" I finished for him.

Eddie shook his head as he ran his hands up and down my arms "It's not that. I guess I just keep waiting for her say something that makes me understand, that justifies what she did. I wish I knew if she ever actually loved me like I loved her."

"She's still wearing the engagement ring" I pointed out quietly as my eyes shifted from the ground and then back up to meet Eddie's. And then a wave of guilt rushed over Eddie at the sound of my voice and I let out a heavy sigh as I wrapped my arms around his neck "Hey" his eyes set on mine in a gentle stare. "I know you still have feelings for Chloe, okay? That was never a secret. You loved her and you proposed to her and you had probably already started narrow down a day to marry her."

This was another one of those moments. As I pointed out the fact that Eddie still had feelings for his ex-fiancée, Eddie's eyes continued to gaze carefully into mine, noting the emotion and filling with a deeper essence of guilt and resentment for those very feelings. It was an inner conflict because even though he did still care for Chloe, even though he still loved her, I knew that he also cared about me.

Shaking his head of all negative thoughts and heaviness, Eddie grabbed both of my hands "Can we just…forget we watched that and go back to before?"

Walking backwards towards the couch, I pulled Eddie along with me "I believe it was your turn to ask a question." I replied as I sat back down, Eddie following suit.

As he reeled his mind for a question, he placed my legs across his lap and draped the blanket on top of us, making sure to cover my feet as well "Number one travel destination?"

"Anywhere" I replied honestly. "I've never been outside of California." That fact seemed to surprise Eddie, as it did most people. "We never really had enough money to travel and any extra money we did have my mom would put away into savings, just in case."

"But you want travel?"

"Of course I do, but it's never been a priority. Almost everything I earn goes into my savings for school. I'm sure my mom and Don will be planning some big family vacation in this summer though." Eddie could tell that that idea did not sit well with me but I didn't give either of us time to dwell, it was my turn. "So, speaking of family vacations…what was your favourite?"

Allowing the memory and thoughts to fill his mind, Eddie's lips twitched into a sad smile. "Do you remember me telling you about the beach bungalow my family owns?"

Recollection seemed to hit me pretty hard and fast as I glanced over his shoulder, my eyes taking in the photograph of Eddie and Katy "Where you went the weekend before the Senior Ditch Day premiere?" Then I lifted my hand, pointing to the photo "Where that picture was taken?"

Reaching behind him, he took the photo in his hands allowing the memory of a moment to play behind his eyes "I grew up on the road with my parents, living the rock and roll life style, traveling all over the world." He looked up from the picture, his eyes meeting mine "But the best moments were at that bungalow. My parents would sit around watching eighties movies all day and I would take walks along the beach or sit down on the front step practicing guitar. My dad taught me my first chord at the bungalow when I was six."

"And your mom taught you piano, didn't she?" He nodded, curiosity taking over his features. "I think I read that somewhere" I explained, at which he smiled.

Eddie placed the photograph down as the sound of the phone ringing erupted into the silence and stillness of the evening. He stood and made his way over to the small table beside the piano and picked up the phone "Hello?"

I couldn't hear the voice on the other line but judging from the expression on Eddie's face and his overall body language, I could tell that this was probably more of a professional calling as opposed to a personal one.

"Thank you Leo." Then he hung up the phone, making his way back over to me.

"Is everything okay?"

Eddie nodded, glancing back at the phone before meeting my eyes "That was Leo, the nighttime doorman. He was just letting me know that they've officially removed Chloe from the approved guest list."

And just like that my eyebrows shot up, "Oh was that Jake's doing?" From what I had come to understand about Jake, he held Eddie's best interest at heart and had absolutely no respect or tolerance for Chloe anymore. It made sense to me that he would take Chloe off of the guest list on Eddie's behalf.

"No, I called down earlier asking them to." He smiled as he took in the expression on my face "Why are you so surprised by that?"

Attempting to drop all emotion from my features, I shrugged my shoulders "I don't know. I guess it's just a big step for you."

"It is" he agreed readily "but I need to move on and she's already dropped by a few times unannounced. I can't get on with my life if she's constantly just an elevator ride away." Then, as he scooted closer to me, lacing his fingers through mine, he whispered "Besides, I have new priorities on my list."

As he said it, his eyes gazed into mine through a curtain of lashes and a flattered smile tugged on my lips. "Am I on that list?"

"You are at the top of that list" he replied as he closed what little distance there was left between us.

Upon instinct, my left hand reached up resting gently on his cheek, stabilizing myself as I leaned my body towards his. His lips moving softly against mine at first, but picking up intensity as his hand gripped my waist and slowly began moving, caressing the side of my body causing my heart to pick up its pace and my breath to became shallow.

It wasn't until now, as my eyes were closed taking in every foreign feeling and sensation, that I realized how dark the apartment had become since turning the television off. I suppose our eyes had adjusted to the black transparency but with only the moon and small twinkling stars acting as light sources, everything seemed so much more intense in the silence of the penthouse surrounding us.

Soon his lips worked against mine slightly parting them and allowing entrance for his tongue to tangle against mine in an intoxicating dance, sending the world into a tailspin of pent up tension. I could feel my knees growing weak and had it not been for the fact that we were sitting, I know that they would be unable to support the weight of my unnerved body which came undone as Eddie began leaning further and further into me forcing me to press my back against the soft leather of the sofa. Eddie was careful as he hovered over me, supporting his weight with his arms so as to not put any unnecessary weight on me.

My hands slowly traveled up his arms, tracing the outlines of his flexed muscles as his lips pulled away from mine and began trailing across my cheek and sprinkling gentle kisses down the side of my neck. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths as I felt Eddie pull away and met my eyes, silently asking if I was okay. In response, I crashed my lips onto his, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him closer towards me, forcing more of his weight to cover me.

We stayed like that for several moments of time content with gentle caresses, soft, passionate and sometimes hungry kisses and wandering hands, slowly beginning to memorize each other in more ways than before.

I hadn't realized that knowing a person was more than just knowing where they go to think or their favourite colour. Knowing someone, in their entirety was their heart beat and what it took to send it racing. Knowing someone, knowing Eddie, was understanding that as callused and rough as his hands were, their touch was gentle and careful, they were the hands that bled from practicing guitar for hours on end but that later pieced together a beautiful melody that filled stadiums from the floor to the skyline roofs.

Knowing Eddie was having the ability to trust him, having faith that no touch would cross any invisible lines that even I hadn't known I had drawn but within that was the knowledge that he knew me as well. There was no touch that crossed those lines. There was no attempt to remove any single article of clothing. No kiss that was misplaced and no expectation that he had that he knew I couldn't meet.

So later, as we both pulled away, my breath on his lips his on mine, we smiled and he wordlessly pushed himself off of me but at the same time he pulled me back into his arms, the same way he had at the beginning of the night.

He reached over to the glass table, lifting the remote off of the table and turning the television on again, Chloe's interview long over with. He slowly began flipping through the channels and as the black and white figure of Reese Witherspoon came onto the screen, he placed the remote back down and I couldn't help but smile. At the same time his arms tightened around me, pulling me closer as settled in, watching as a world of black and white slowly vibrated with bright and beautiful colours.

**Happy Sunday everyone! I meant to get this chapter out this morning but slept in and then had to run around doing errands and just got back to edit. Regardless I hope you enjoy it! **

**Also, once I hit 20 chapters I'm going to be doing a large Q & A blog post on tumblr (the link to my blog is on my FF profile.) So send your questions in through reviews, PMs or on tumblr and I'll compile them all into one post. Questions can be anything about the story, the plot line, my writing style, my planning methods or even general questions about me. **

**Thanks for reading and for being so incredibly supportive! **

**P.S. Dear Marirosa, thank you for all of your reviews! They were wonderful to read and I did read all of them! I really appreciate what you said about my writing. Those words coming from someone older than myself truly means the world to me. Thank you!**

**Stay classy loves!**

**-Tia**


	19. Believe in Crazy Dreams

"_I stood at the bottom of some walls I thought I couldn't climb__  
__I felt like Cinderella at the ball just running out of time__  
__So I know how it feels to be afraid,__think that it's all gonna slip away__  
__Hold on, hold on"_

_-Crazy Dreams by Carrie Underwood_

When I was three, I would shuffle around the house in my dad's shoes singing at the top of my lungs while banging pot lids together. I called it music. My parents called it noise. When I was four, music was scarce in my household. When I was six, I started school and sitting in the corner of the kindergarten classroom was a baby grand piano, my teacher, Mrs. Sweetbriar would often play for us during playtime and while the others would sit around, building tall buildings with Lego pieces or use the small playhouse to play House, I would sit beside Mrs. Sweetbriar hypnotized by how her fingers moved swiftly and gracefully over the ivory keys. Sometimes she would teach me songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, or The Wheels on the Bus. Later I went home begging my mom to put me in piano lessons. We couldn't afford it at the time but Mrs. Sweetbriar offered to teach me every day after school for no charge.

It was sometime after that, that I began writing letters to my dad. Eventually those letters became poems. And when I was thirteen, sitting on the hill in Griffith Park, overlooking the city, I began thinking about lyrics. That day I pulled out my cell phone and began to sing into it. Just like that I had written a song. When I got home, I sat behind my keyboard, complimenting the words to music. Through babysitting I compiled enough money to eventually buy my own guitar and I slowly began to teach myself how to play, using online tutorials and books that I borrowed from my school's music department.

I suppose music has always been a part of my life in some way or another, guiding me through the bumps in life's road or helping me find clarity when the world appeared foggy. And as I sat in Jake's office, beside Eddie, across from Jake and Kelly, listening to the demos for Eddie's new album, I was reminded of that very fact.

These new songs of Eddie's were dramatically different from anything he had written before, they were soulful, delicate and powerful, they were a departure from the usual dance pop music that I was accustomed to. And then, suddenly, a familiar piano riff filled the room as Eddie's voice began ring out from his phone, _"We never would have met we never would have had a chance, if there was no music. I probably would have left and then we never would have danced, if there was no music…"_

Truth be told, I hadn't held my breath when Eddie told me that he wanted to use our song on his album. It wasn't that I didn't believe that he was sincere about the pride he felt for the song we had written together but rather the fact that I was a valley girl with no professional background in music, never having even taken formal classes. And yet as the song played out, I heard my voice come out through the speakers _"Listen up, listen up, come on. The DJ's be out of jobs how would you ever get your fitness on if the music's gone, we'd be so lost..."_

Both Kelly and Jake lifted their line of vision to look at me, their questioning eyes begging the question of why my voice was on the demo track. I was wondering that myself.

When the song came to an end, Eddie lifted his phone from off the table before shifting his eyes to Jake directly. "Well, what do you think so far?"

Jake let out a heavy sigh, his gaze falling on Kelly and then me, "Would you two excuse us for a minute? I need to talk to Eddie alone."

Kelly and I both stood, without uttering a word and left the office and I pulled the door closed behind me. Kelly made her way over to her desk as I leaned against the wall. We stayed in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being muffled voices from inside Jake's office. But then, Kelly looked up from her computer screen, her brows slightly creased as her eyes settled on me. "So, that was your voice on the demo track, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kelly shook her head, her eyes falling back onto the computer screen "No reason." And for another moment, we were encased in silence. Just for a moment. "It's just that" she had set her sights on me once again, "you always seem so shy, when I see you but your voice is…it's very strong. Very powerful, it's beautiful actually."

I could feel my eyes widen slightly from the compliment "Thank you."

Kelly's eyes shifted from Jake's office door and then back on me "Loren, have you ever thought about a career in music?" My stunned silence made her smile "Because I think you might have what it takes to make it in the business. I mean with a voice like that and your sweet, all American girl demeanor, you could have a real shot."

I didn't have a chance to respond as Jake's door opened and both Jake and Eddie walked out, "Just think about what I said Eddie, okay?"

Eddie nodded, but didn't verbally respond which wasn't like him. Even more out of character, he wasn't meeting Jake's eyes.

Jake turned to Kelly "I have to make an important call so if any clients come in or if any other calls come in, just take a message for me Kel." Kelly nodded and watched as Jake, retreated back into his office.

What seemed like a forced smile was then etched onto Eddie's face as he looked down at me "You ready to go?"

"Where are we going?" Eddie had said he wanted to take me out tonight but hadn't specified where. The detour to Jake's office had been a last minute decision but Eddie had asked me to tag along regardless, claiming he wanted my input on the new songs.

"You said you wanted to check out the new pizza place off Doheny" he said it as if he was reminding me but my memory was fine, I just didn't think that he would have wanted to be the one to check it out with me seeing as the last few times we had driven by, it had been quite busy, mostly with teenagers. "Are you ready to go?"

I walked over to Steven's desk, grabbing my purse from it and then nodded, beginning to make my way to the door with Eddie, only Kelly's voice pulled me back.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" She asked suddenly. I watched Eddie continue to walk down the hall, giving Kelly and me a moment to talk.

"Why?"

"You look skeptical about what I said about you and a music career and I just really think that you should think it through. Give me one hour tomorrow afternoon, I'll meet you at Rumor, lunch will be on me and all I ask is that you hear me out." She looked sincere, and to put it plainly, passionate.

So I took a deep breath and nodded "I work until noon tomorrow so can I meet you at one?"

Kelly nodded, a triumphant smile spreading onto her lips, "One sounds great."

Then I gave her a small wave, and then run down the hall to catch up to Eddie who had already reached the staircase. "What did Kelly want?" He asked as he slipped his hand into mine, matching me step for step.

"Nothing, we're just meeting up for lunch tomorrow" I replied. It wasn't that I wanted to keep this from Eddie it was that I didn't know if anything was going to come of it and for right now, it felt like something I needed to keep to myself.

Eddie sent me a curious look as we reached the bottom step and he went to open the door for me "I didn't realize you two had gotten close."

I shrugged as I walked outside, breathing in the warmth of the spring night and making my way to Eddie's car "We haven't, not really. She kind of asked me out of the blue actually."

Eddie pressed the button to unlock his car and I went to open the passenger side door for myself but Eddie beat me to it, playfully slapping my hand away. "Well, I don't know Kelly that well but she's Jake's wife's best friend so that plays in her favor." He told me as he closed the door and I began buckling my seatbelt.

When we arrived at the pizza place, I took notice of the name 'CRUST' painted in pieces of bitten into pizza crusts on the door's window. It thought it was cute, and clever for a family owned restaurant.

Inside, the walls were all painted a deep shade of red, the dining room dimly lit with each occupied table holding a lit candle. On the small stage at the back of the restaurant were two older men, by the looks of them probably brothers who were softly playing guitar, creating a warm atmosphere.

As soon as we were spotted, one of the waiters made their way over the front "I know you" he said a little too loudly as he pointed at Eddie. "You live on my daughter's sleep room wall, she dance to your music" his thick Italian accent pinching each attempted English word. He reached into his apron and pulled out a notepad as well as a pen "You sign" he instructed.

With a genuine smile, Eddie took the pen and notepad from the man "What's your daughter's name?"

"Gabriella" He replied before Eddie scribbled a short message onto the piece of paper and handed it back to the man. "Grazie!" The man shoved the pad and the pen back into his apron and clapped his hands together "You hungry, you follow." Then he began to walk further into the restaurant, Eddie and I following behind him until he came to an abrupt halt in front of a table for two.

The man pulled the chair out for me and pushed it back in for me as I sat "Thank you." He nodded and brought out a lighter to light our candle then asked us what we wanted to drink. We both ordered water before watching him walk away.

"Can you ever go anywhere without getting recognized?" I asked as I began to notice the heads of many turn in our direction.

"Yeah, it just depends on where I am and who I'm with. Last year I went shopping two days before Christmas at Beverly centre and wasn't stopped once." The man then brought over two menus and placed them down in front of us as well as two glasses of water. "Thank you" Eddie said, the man only nodding in reply.

We both opened the menus but neither of us were paying too much attention to them, "I didn't know that you were serious about using the song we wrote together on your album" I admitted.

Eddie smiled, his eyes lifting to meet mine "I know I figured that out when I saw the look of absolute shock on your face in Jake's office." He was teasing me.

"Why did you play the duet recording for Jake though? Why didn't you re-record it with just your voice?"

"Because it's a duet" Eddie replied, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Were you paying attention when I gave that interview with Lily Park? I announced all of this that morning."

Again, he was teasing me. I let out a small sigh, letting him know that I was serious "So you want to record it as a duet on your album?"

"Yes" Eddie replied, looking me dead in the eye "with you."

The prospect of Eddie's words weighed heavily on my conscious and I quickly shit the menu "I have a confession." Eddie watched me curiously, waiting for me to continue. "My lunch with Kelly tomorrow is her trying to convince me that I could have a career in music."

"You need to be convinced of that?"

"Eddie" I pressed, both of us knowing that that was not the reply I was looking for.

He held his hand up in front of himself defensively "Okay, okay but why didn't you just tell me before?"

My shoulders lifted closely to my ears and hovered there for a few seconds before dropping as I spoke. "I don't know… I guess I don't want you or anyone else to think that I'm anything like Chloe?" My answer was more of guess than a confident answer but as the words lingered between us, I realized how true they were.

Flashing a small smile, Eddie reached his hand across the table to rest it on top of mine. "Do you honestly think that I could think you're anything like her?"

"I don't know" I leaned forward a little more so that I could drop the volume of my voice to stop people from overhearing. "I've always loved music, for as long as I can remember but until I met you I never thought of it as a possible career. But working with you and hearing you say that I had talent…I'm not going to lie, the thought of actually pursuing it has crossed my mind a few times."

His hand squeezed mine "But you're afraid of how it will look if you try to start a career only after becoming friends with me." At least he understood. "You know, a lot of people think that I got where I am today because of my parents, because I used their names to put myself ahead. The truth is I did it on my own. I wouldn't let them make calls for me to producers or to their label or anyone. I wanted to make it based on my own talents and I did." At some point my eyes had casted downwards but I slowly began to look up at him through my lashes. "You can too."

"You're not mad?"

He smiled, apparently finding me amusing "Mad that you don't want to waste your talents? No. But, I'm upset that you felt that you had to hide the meeting with Kelly from me." Even at that, his hand never dropped mine.

"I'm sorry." My teeth caught my bottom lip nervously.

"It's okay. And just for the record…if I thought, even for a second, that you were using me; we would be having a much different conversation."

"So…" I looked down for a moment "do you want to come and meet up with Kelly and me tomorrow?"

"I'll be there." We exchanged smiles before picking up our menus, this time actually reading them. Eventually, we decided to share a pastrami pizza.

While we were waiting, engaging in some small talk about my school work, mainly the stress I was feeling over Mr. Stephens' pre-calc test on Monday and the excitement over spring break that was creeping up; two girls no younger than me, from a table a few feet away from us began to make their way over.

Eddie was in the middle of saying something when the girls reached our table, one of them holding a cell phone, "Excuse me, Eddie?" The pixie cut blonde said shyly, catching his attention "We were wondering if we could take a picture with you?"

"Of course" Eddie stood to take the picture, the girl holding her phone out in front of her.

I stood quickly, holding my hand out for her phone "Here, I can take it." She nodded her appreciation as her friend made her way to stand on Eddie's other side, all three of them smiling brightly at me. After the flash went off, I handed the phone back to her.

"Thank you Loren" she said, catching me off guard, before her and her friend made their way back to their table.

"I'm still not used to that" I said as I retook my seat.

Eddie shot me a curious look "Used to what?"

"People knowing my name" I let out a breath of incredulousness. "Mel and I were at the library studying a few days ago and some girls asked if I was_ that_ Loren, Eddie Duran's best friend, Loren."

"I think you're a little more than that" he countered, that too catching me off guard.

I shot him a playful smile "Oh really? And what would that be?"

Eddie nodded, a nervous laugh escaping past his lips "I walked right into that one didn't I?"

"You kind of sprinted" I joked back.

The waiter from earlier then came up to us, taking out his notepad and pen and writing down our order as Eddie placed it. Before leaving, he took our menus.

"So tonight was when Mel and Adam were supposed to have their first date, wasn't it?"

Excitement over took me, "Yes" Eddie couldn't help but laugh at me. I kicked him response. "And it must be going well because I haven't gotten a 'Come save me' text from her yet and they left over two hours ago."

"What took them so long to get together anyway?"

I considered the question for a second, having wondered that myself. "I guess it just comes down to Adam being really shy and Mel being generally oblivious to the world around her."

"Eddie?" A little girl, no older than six stood beside our table. Neither of us had noticed her oncoming presence. She held up a small digital camera, her cheeks burning red and her eyes barely able to meet Eddie's "May I please take a picture with you?"

Instantly, I could tell that she had melted Eddie's heart as much as she had melted mine. "Of course you can sweetheart." He stood and knelt down to her level, taking the camera from her grasp and handing it to me as I too stood "Loren, would you mind?"

"Of course not" I replied, taking the camera from him and turning it on. Once the flash went off, I bent down low and handed the camera back to the little girl "There you go honey."

"Thank you" she replied shyly before running back to the table with her parents and baby brother, who was sitting on the mother's lap.

Eddie and I both took our seats again, Eddie's phone ringing simultaneously and when he saw that it was Jake's name flashing across the screen, he hit ignore. I didn't say anything but instead gave him a knowing look, when he looked across the table, realizing the silence, he sighed "Jake and I kind of got into a fight."

"Back at the office" it was more of a statement than a question. "What happened?"

"Jake…" Eddie trailed off, considering his choice of words. "He doesn't think the new material is going to go over well with the label. He says it's different."

"It is" I replied quickly and honestly, "but it's a good different. You're growing as an artist. Jake has to see that."

"He does" Eddie acknowledged "he even said he liked the new songs but because it's different, he thinks the label isn't going to want to release it. Apparently the only song he thinks the label will approve of is the one we wrote together."

Being honest, I didn't know much about the music industry, Jake would have a much better understanding of how to dot the 'I's' and cross the 'T's' than I would. However, I knew Eddie. I knew that these new songs were extensions of himself and I knew how much of his heart had had poured into each and every one of them. It made me love them that much more.

As I opened my mouth to reply, our waiter brought our pizza over on a platter with two separate plates. "Eat!" He exclaimed before walking away and attending to another table.

Eddie reached for a slice, the cheese stretching as he pulled it away and placed it on his plate. "For what it's worth" I began, catching Eddie's attention. "I love the songs."

He searched my face for a moment, but when no sign of deceit washed over it, he gave me a small, almost sad smile, "Thank you."

When we had finished eating, only a few slices were left over which we had packaged up so that Eddie could drop them off at the shelter near his apartment. Eddie once again refused to let me pay and before we could leave, just as we were walking to the door, two of the waitresses came up to us. "Do you mind if we get a picture with the two of you?" One of them asked shyly.

"Absolutely" Eddie replied.

Our waiter walked up to us holding a camera and pointed to the girl who had asked for the picture "Gabriella," telling us that this was the daughter he had gotten the autograph for. "Dominique" He said pointing to the other.

I tried to step out of the way, letting the girls get their picture with Eddie but Gabriella, who was maybe about fourteen, grabbed my hand pulling me back "I really want you in the picture with us. You're Loren right?"

Suddenly, I was the one growing shy "Yeah, that's me."

Gabriella beamed and waved me over to stand beside her in the photograph. Our waiter snapped the photograph quickly and then handed the camera to Gabriella whose smile widened as she looked at the picture, the other waitress making her way over to look at the photo as well. Eventually Gabriella tore her eyes away from the screen "Thank you guys so much!"

"You're welcome" Eddie replied, offering her a gentle smile before opening the door for me and following me out, neither of us having noticed the crowd of paparazzi outside the restaurant.

"_Eddie, any reply to Chloe's interview with Lily Park?"_

"_Is is true that Chloe's pregnant?"_

"_Loren, over here, give us a wave." _I covered my face with my hand instead.

"_Is it true that you two are dating?"_

"_Was this a date?"_

"_Loren, what's your reaction to Chloe's interview with Lily Park? Are you threatened?"_

They followed us down the sidewalk, as we made our way to Eddie's car, constantly shouting out question after question, growing aggressive when they weren't receiving any answers.

Every few steps one of them would jump out in front of me, blocking my path and eventually Eddie grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him when he noticed that I was no longer following him closely. Of course, that action only fed their frenzy.

When we finally got to the car, Eddie walked me to the passenger side first, making sure that I got in okay and locking the door before closing it. Then, he walked around getting in the driver's seat, barely taking the time to do up his seat belt before honking and pulling away from the curb and taking off down the street.

When Eddie dropped me off at home, walking me to the door, he attempted to apologize for the tenth time for bringing his world into mine but I cut him off with a kiss. He seemed to forget that I had willingly walked into his world. I had no regrets.

My lips moved slowly against Eddie's as I realized, this was really the first time that I had initiated a kiss. Eddie seemed to be matching my movements, resting his hand on the nape of my neck as I rested a hand on his cheek, guiding his face closer to mine as I reached onto my toes moving closer to him, our kiss deepening as a result.

Soon, Eddie dropped his hand so that his arms could encircle my waist, holding me in place as I slightly parted my lips allowing his tongue access to my mouth, forcing a swarm of butterflies to begin fluttering around in my stomach. My back naturally arched as I felt the warmth of his hands, seep in through my shirt, sending electric waves through my body.

As my bottom lip brushed against his, I let out a breath I hadn't meant to hold. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Eddie didn't bother to answer verbally, only nodding slightly, before leaning in, brushing his lips against mine with a feather like touch.

It wasn't until later that night as I sat up in bed, lightly strumming my guitar, that I finally heard from Mel but it wasn't the 'tell all' text I had been expecting. There was no mention of Adam, no first date outfit horror story or even a sweet recollection of a first date kiss.

Her text instead read _Check Celebrity Uh-Oh!_

And I did.

Under a paparazzi photo of Eddie holding my hand as we made our way to his car, was a small excerpt.

_Uh-Oh ladies! Eddie Duran was spotted out and about with his self proclaimed best friend, Loren Tate, who seems a little camera-shy in this picture. The two ate dinner at CRUST, a new pizza restaurant, and reportedly spent nearly two hours within its walls. Onlookers say the two seemed polite, taking photos with fans but otherwise seemed to keep to themselves, talking quietly at their table. _

How had they learned my last name?

_A source close to the two says that they were also together last weekend at the Aroma café for an 18__th__ birthday party of a mutual friend, Melissa. Video footage from the party is below!_

The website had added the video that Mel had made at her birthday party and later placed on her blog, including the footage of Adam's interpretive dace, Eddie's birthday message and my rendition of happy birthday.

_If you ever wondered what Eddie Duran could possibly have in common with a valley girl, well there's your answer! The girl has a voice! _

**Happy Thursday everyone! Sorry this took so long to get out, I worked late and then I have some family stuff going on (always with the family stuff) that I had to take care of. But regardless, I hope you've enjoyed! **

**After I post chapter 20 on Sunday I'll be putting up a blog post on tumblr answering your questions about the story so if you have any questions, send them in! **

**Stay classy! **

**-Tia**


	20. Just A Girl

"_Well you said to me "Come on let me walk you home" that night_

_And I honestly never thought I'd see those sparks ignite_

'_Cause a boy from a big old town with a shiny black car_

_Don't usually go falling for a girl with an old guitar."_

_-Just A Girl by Lindsay Bruce_

Five minutes seemed to turn into an eternity as I stared down the clock at work, watching the long hand tick the seconds by slowly. The lunch rush had just begun and both Summer and Emily were scheduled to take over for me at noon, and seeing as I had been at the café since 5am, all I wanted to do was head back home and fall asleep in one of the lounge chairs by the pool. I could already feel the warm spring sun blanketing my body. However, I knew that as soon as I was off I needed to head home and shower, to wash the second hand scent of coffee and baked pastries from my skin before I met Kelly and Eddie at Rumor. Three minutes to go.

"Excuse me Miss?" My sight lifted from the counter I was currently wiping down and set on a thirty something year old man, holding his coffee cup in the air. "Could I get a refill when you get the chance?"

"Of course" I forced a smile, reminding myself that every tip gets me closer to Brown and reached over to grab the coffee pot before making my way over to the man and filling his cup, nearly to the rim.

The sound of the café door opening caught my attention and I whipped my head around, hoping to see Summer or Emily walking through the doors but instead I caught sight of Melissa and Adam, holding hands as their eyes quickly scanned the specials board at the front and then found me.

Melissa pulled Adam along behind her as she followed my trail back to the front counter "Hey Lo, Adam and I were going to head to Beverly Center and wanted to know if you wanted to come with? I need to pick out a new dress for the spring dance."

"I can't" I told her regrettably as I reached for the cloth and finished wiping the counter down.

Melissa eyed me curiously "Yes you can, you were off two minutes ago."

I looked up at the clock, relief finding me "Yeah but neither Summer nor Emily have shown up yet and besides I have lunch plans."

Slowly, a knowing smile tugged on the corners of Mel's lips, her one brow raised accusingly "With Eddie?" Opting not to answer I began to refill the coffee pot. "Huh, two dates in two days, you've got that boy well trained."

Looking up from my job, I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend's choice of words "I do not have him trained. We just like spending time together and it's not a date. Someone from his management office is joining us."

Quickly, Mel's face scrunched up in distaste "Like a business meeting?"

"Something like that" I agreed, offering a small shrug.

Mel shook her head, "That settles that then. I think you should ditch your hot rock star boy toy and come hang out with us at the mall. You can help me pick out shoes!" She sang.

Glancing back at the café door, I let out a short breath "Yeah, well before I go anywhere I need Emily and Summer to show up."

Mel glanced up at the clock, a curious look invading her features "Weren't they both supposed to start like ten minutes ago?" Nodding, I glanced out into the café, a few people holding up coffee cups and a couple making their way to the counter to pay as a group of people began making their way inside from the patio and lining up behind them. Mel made her way around the counter and took the coffee pot from my hands "Alright, you take care of the register, Adam and I will help with the coffee refills and taking people's orders."

Having no other choice at the moment, I breathed a sigh of relief "Thank you."

She didn't answer but instead handed a coffee pot to Adam and pointed to her left "Adam, you take the left side of the café, I'll take the right." Adam saluted her before doing as he had been told.

I turned my attention to the line in front of me, taking their bills from them and ringing their orders though. One person had paid with a hundred dollar bill, making me short for change and by the time I had gotten through the line another one had begun to form.

I could tell Adam and Mel were getting a little worn the busier it got and when I glanced back the clock I saw that it was 12:45, there was no way I was going to make it to Rumor in time or at all if Emily and Summer didn't show up soon.

Once I had rung the last person through, I ran into the back before someone else could claim my attention at the register. I pulled out my phone, first texting Eddie to tell him that I was going to be late since I had been held up at work, and then scrolled through my contacts, finding Emily's name and called her.

"Hello?"

"Emily hey, it's Loren. Are you on your way to work?"

She seemed to let out a sigh of relief "Loren, oh thank god, I didn't have your number and I don't have the café's number in my phone so I couldn't call you. Summer and I are having some car trouble, she had to pick me up at my house this morning and on the way to work her car ran out of gas. She swears she's never had that happen to her before."

"_It hasn't" _I heard Summer say in the background. _"I checked my tank like a week ago and it was full. I didn't think I had done that much driving." _

"Okay, well how long are you guys going to be?"

Emily must have covered the phone because the voices had become muffled. "Umm… like an hour? Sum's parents are on their way but they're not exactly familiar with the neighborhood we're in so it might take them a while to find us."

Glancing up at the clock in the storage room, I saw it was now 1:00. "Alright, I'll see you when you get here."

"Kay, bye."

I hung up with Emily and made a quick call to my shift manager Gina to tell her we were short on change but she wasn't going to be able to bring any in until she picked her daughter up from a sleepover in half an hour. While on the phone with her, Eddie had texted me back and after I hung up I dialed his number.

"Hey, are you on your way? Kelly just got here."

I sighed, feeling horrible for having to cancel "I can't make it."

"Why not, is everything okay?"

Running a hand through my hair, I peeked out front where another line had begun to form. "Everything's fine but the girls who were supposed to take over the afternoon shift from me got held up due to car trouble and I can't leave until they get here which could be another hour."

He was silent for a moment and I figured he was telling Kelly what was going on. "You sound really stressed out, do you need any help?"

The laugh that escaped past my lips was unattainable "As much as I would love to see you busting tables, Melissa and Adam are here and Mel kind of voluntold Adam that he was helping. I'll be fine until the others show up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but I've got to go, I've got a line up out front. Tell Kelly that I'm really sorry, hopefully she'll be okay to reschedule."

Eddie instantly picked up on my worry and laughed slightly "Loren this is show business, people being casually late and cancelling last minute happens all of the time."

"I'm pretty sure that stuff happens once you're on your level, not the level of a Tarzana waitress."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I've got your back."

And that fact really did send a wave of assurance through me "Thank you. I'll talk to you later."

"Definitely, bye."

"Bye." I made my way back out to the front where the line had practically grown outside the door and quickly began ringing people through.

When Gina finally arrived, her nine year old daughter Janie beside her, she took one look at me and grew incredibly confused. "What are you still doing here? Weren't you off half an hour ago?" She asked as she made her way behind the counter, opening the till and removing the hundred dollar bill before adding smaller bills and extra change.

"I was supposed to be, but Emily and Summer had some car troubles and I couldn't just leave."

She looked up at me as she closed the till "You didn't have plans this afternoon?"

"I had to cancel them."

That's when she looked up and saw Melissa and Adam going from table to table taking orders "Oh is that why your friends are helping out?"

I glanced in the direction her eyes were set in and saw Melissa shaking her head, telling someone that they didn't want something they had ordered then pointing to something else on the menu assuring them that it was much better, not to mention the more expensive choice. "No, that was just a lucky coincidence."

Gina's eyes fixated on me again "So, you had plans with someone else? A certain hunky rock star perchance?" The blush the crept onto my cheeks gave my answer away "I can't believe your friends with Eddie Duran. How long have you been crushing on him? I know you were working here when his first album dropped because you took the release day off so that you could be the first in line to buy it."

"Shut up" I said with a laugh as I rang another person's bill through.

A few minutes later Melissa walked behind the counter, grabbing a cloth "People are pigs" she announced. "The table by the entrance" she pointed out "left a pile of crumbs and spilt coffee all over the table. And there's mustard on the seat." With a disgusted shiver she made her way back over to the table, wiping it clean.

"I'm going to have to pay your friend's for their help aren't I?"

I shrugged "Or you could just add it to my paycheck? I promise not to tell." I offered jokingly.

Gina rolled her eyes as the café door opened and Emily and Summer came bursting in "We're so sorry!" They said simultaneously.

Summer was throwing her hair up in a messy bun, her apron already tied around her waist. "Has it been busy?"

Finally, I was able to reach behind my back and take my apron off, "Yeah, but that's pretty typical for a weekend afternoon."

"You should give her time and half Gi," Emily said, nodding in my direction. "She's an angel."

Gina rose her eyebrows "Oh really?"

The café door opened again, but as Summer looked over my shoulder to see who had entered, her eyes widened into saucers "Oh, my gosh."

Gina, Emily and I all turned around to see who had frozen Summer over and I was surprised when I saw Eddie making his way to the counter. "What are you doing here?"

Eddie shrugged, glancing up at the chalk board menu "I heard you have the best milkshakes in town."

"Oh, and you thought you could charm me into giving you one for free?" I countered.

"I thought it was worth a shot" he replied, a playful smile on his lips as he extended his hand towards Summer. "Hey, I'm Eddie."

Summer shook his hand, her wide eyes still in effect but her lips not moving.

"That's Summer" I hold him before pointing to Emily and Gina, "And this is Emily and Gina, Gina's my shift manager and this…" I rested a hand on Janie's shoulder, whose eyes were almost as big as Summer's "is Janie."

He gave a subtle wave in their direction, as he reached out to shake Janie's hand "Nice to meet you all." Then he glanced back at me "So by their presence, I take it your off now?"

A wide smile grew onto my face "Yes, I can finally sit down."

"Well, I know you probably mean by your pool at home but do you mind if we grab a table outside for a minute? There's something I need to talk to you about." He didn't seem too serious, so I didn't think it was anything bad.

"Okay, yeah, sure. Give me one minute and I'll meet you out there?" Eddie nodded and then turned back towards the door, waving at Melissa and Adam as he walked out.

Before following Eddie outside, I made him a milkshake, earning sly smiles from my co-workers but choosing to ignore them.

"Personally, I think my shakes are better than Summer's but don't tell her I said that." I said as I took a seat opposite from Eddie.

He smiled as he took a sip, "That is really good actually."

Adding a fair for the dramatic, I brushed my hair over my shoulder "I know." Pleased with the laugh that escaped from Eddie, I placed my elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Kelly."

My brows creased slightly "What about Kelly?"

Eddie placed the shake to the side, as he too leaned forward "Well after I left Rumor, I called Jake about needing to reschedule your meeting with her and as it turns out, Jake had no idea that she was even meeting with you."

That brought to light another concern I had had "Yeah, I kind of wondered if Kelly was even a manager. I mean I think you or Jake told me she was a junior manager at the company but I don't really even know what that means."

Eddie shrugged "Honestly? It means she's supposed to take care of the clients Jake takes on but doesn't have the time or desire to manage himself."

I nodded, thinking I understood "In other words, the clients he doesn't think will make it big like you did."

"Exactly."

Letting out a deep breath, I wrung my hands together nervously "So what did Jake say exactly?"

"Well at first he was a little annoyed with Kelly for going behind his back but I talked him down and told him that I agreed with Kelly on the front that I think you've got what it takes to make it in the business."

"And?"

"And, Jake wants you to come in to his office sometime in the next few weeks so he can hear some of your material" Eddie said with a large grin making its way onto his lips but the fact that a small smile hadn't even begun to grace my lips seemed to worry him. "What?"

"It's just" I tried to choose my words carefully "I have a lot riding on this. I honestly have no idea if I want to try and pursue music but if I decide to do that then I have to give up on Brown or at least differ for a year."

Eddie reached across the table, placing a hand on mine "Hey, I know what this means for you okay? I saw how stoked you were about Brown and I don't want you to make any decision you don't feel you're ready to make or any that you think you'll regret." I nodded as I met his eyes. "That being said, I see how you light up when you sing and I think not trying to see that path through would be a mistake. Plus, Jake made my career. He could do the same for you."

Confusion took over me, "But Jake wouldn't be managing me."

Eddie's confusion met my own "Why do you think he wants to hear your material?"

"To see if he should let Kelly take me on."

Eddie let out a small laugh "Loren, he wants to hear the material for himself, he heard the song we wrote together and he loved it. He also said you had a stronger voice then he had expected. He wants to hear the material for himself." He kept his eyes on my face hoping I would catch on.

To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was. "So Jake wants to manage me, possibly?"

Eddie shrugged, a prideful smile taking over "I told him that not hearing you out would be a huge mistake and since I'm his biggest client, he kind of has to listen to me." The door to the café opened and Melissa came limping outside.

Throwing a cloth on the table, Mel sat down on my lap "My feet are killing me."

"Aw," I patted Mel's head as she rested it on my shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be heading to the mall, dresses and shoes and all of that?"

Mel nodded, letting out a deep sigh "And slippers. I'm going to need to walk around in slippers for the next few hours."

"What are the dresses and shoes for?" Eddie asked as Adam exited the café.

"The dance" Mel said, perking up a little. "Adam's taking me to the spring dance and little Miss party pooper here won't come."

Holding my hands out in defense, I set my eyes on Eddie "Dances aren't my thing."

"How would you know?" Mel asked, teasing me "The closest you've ever gotten to a school dance has been in your livingroom, watching Mean Girls."

I nodded "And that's as close to one as I ever want to get."

Suddenly Mel looked panic stricken "What about Prom? You can't not come to Prom with me it's Prom!"

Rolling my eyes, I gently began nudging her off of me "If I promise to go to Prom, will you let the Spring dance go?"

Gaining her footing, Mel nodded a triumphant smile on her face "Yes, thank you." Then her gaze narrowed "But seriously, why won't you go? Is it because Cameron asked you? You do know you can go stag right? Adam and I will dance with you!"

"You two have fun" I told her, my interest in dances was not about to wave.

Mel sighed as she took hold of Adam's hand "Fine but I'm holding you to Prom!"

"Fine" then as Melissa and Adam began to walk away, I called them back "Hey Adam?"

The sound of his name seemed to take him by surprise "Don't let her convince you that she needs a different dress for each portion of the evening. She can drive, eat and dance in the same dress and one pair of shoes. Two, if one pair is flats for dancing." Mel opened her mouth to argue "Mel, I know for a fact that with the amount of crap you have in your closet you could fill the New York Macy's so if you _need _another dress pick of the ones hiding in the back of your closet with the price tags still on them, I know there's at least a dozen and as for shoes you have more than I do. And that's saying something."

Even Melissa knew she couldn't argue that one and she hung her head in defeat.

"Don't worry Loren, I'll take of her" Adam promised as he draped his arm around her shoulders and began to walk away with her.

"Huh" Eddie took another sip of his milkshake, not meeting my eyes.

"What?"

He shrugged his shoulders "Shoe fetish, huh? Who knew you and Chloe had something in common?"

With a head tilt and narrowed eyes, I tightened my jaw "Shut up" I said, the seriousness of my voice causing Eddie to laugh and I slowly joined in.

"So umm…you didn't tell me that Cameron asked you to your school dance."

"Was I supposed to?" I asked a little surprised that he was bringing it up.

Eddie shook his head and he scratched the back of his neck "No, I just figured that's something you'd tell me."

"You thought I'd tell you that I turned down a guy I don't have feelings for, who asked me to a dance I have no intentions of attending?" I stared at him for a second before it dawned on me "Wait a minute" and cue the giddy grin "Are you jealous?"

Eddie smiled lightly "No, but as your friend I'd like to know when another guy asks you out."

My smile wavered a little "As my friend?"

"As…" he looked away for a second, laughing a little "how do you keep backing me into this corner?"

I held my hands up in defense "You've been making it easy lately." Eddie nodded, down casting his eyes obviously unsure of what to say. "Hey" I said catching his attention, as I reached across the table, my hand lying on top of his this time. "If a guy ever asks me out again, you'll be the first to know. I promise."

"Okay."

"Okay" I agreed as I pulled my hand away from his, placing it on my lap and I staring downwards.

"And Loren?" I looked back up. "Maybe I was a little jealous" he admitted, a gentle smile reaching his eyes.

"You have no reason to be" I told him, a smile on my face but my words more serious than I even I understood.

**Happy Sunday everyone! We've made it to 20 chapters! Thank you guys so much for sticking with the story for this long and for being so supportive and kind to me since I began writing it. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!**

**As promised, my Q&A post on tumblr will be posted right after I put this put so head to my profile here on FF, the link to my tumblr is on there and you'll find the post. If for some reason you can't find it, message me and I can send it to you directly through a PM. **

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	21. Sudden Realizations

"_I can feel my love for you_

_Growing stronger day by day__  
__And I can't wait to see you again_

_So I can hold you in my arms"_

_-Is This Love by Whitesnake_

It's a typical Sunday I suppose. Adriana is up in her room claiming to finish the homework she had put off until the last minute, when in reality she's texting frivolously with her friends, probably about the latest issue of Seventeen while Don works, as per usual, in the spacious four wall confine of his office. And my mom, lain on the couch, is propped up on pillows with one hand resting on her still flat stomach as she absorbs every word in the baby book that my grandmother sent her, postmarked from London, England.

And then there's me, sitting sideways on the white cushioned chair in the corner of the living room, my legs bent and dangling over its arm. Resting on my lap is my notebook, nearly full of teenage angst and complicated matters of the heart, all presented in a lyrical or poetic fashion.

_I didn't see it coming, and I know it threw you too. As we sat out under the night time chandelier and suddenly everything felt clear._

I stare down at the lyrics I've written, thinking back to my first kiss with Eddie and how that one moment, as much as it brought about clarity, it also came with a Santa sized sack of questions and confusion. Questions I knew I couldn't ask quite yet. Confusion I knew I would have to allow to linger a little while longer as day by day, the mentions of Chloe lessen and the pent up sadness that swims in his eyes slowly begins to drain. Eddie and I both know that there are conversations to be had about us, about our relationship, but for right now, I can push it all aside and allow myself to be lost in the memory, painted with orange and a pale tint of red as the pent up tension between us loses all slack and tightens, growing shorter and shorter until the need for it disappears. And later we are surrounded by millions of little diamonds, as he kisses me again, in the comfort of the front porch light.

_And when you kissed me goodnight, in the foreground of the dim porch light, your hands held my hands, the wind blew us closer and when I went inside I watched you drive away._

"What are you thinking about?" Mom's voice pulls me from the daydream, acting as an inconvenient alarm clock.

My heartbeat quickens as I jump, slightly started "I'm just writing."

She folds the corner of the page she's reading down, marking her place and then sets the book down on the coffee table beside her, her eyes never leaving mine as they hover "You haven't written a word in at least ten minutes."

I know she's right, she knows she's right and it dawns on me then that we haven't really spoken in a few weeks. Between, the time I've spent with Eddie and reporting every detail back to Mel as she did with Adam, not to mention the stress of exams and my pending graduation…mother, daughter time has been thrown aside unintentionally on both of our parts.

Closing my notebook and placing both it and my pen on the ground, I straighten myself once more before giving my mom my full attention "How did you know when you loved dad?"

As if wiped clean, or covered with fresh blanket of white snow, Mom's face became completely neutral as she contemplated how to answer something she hadn't thought about in nearly fourteen years. "I guess I just knew?" Her answer was phrased much more as a question. "Why do you ask?"

I shake my head, putting it off as no big deal in the grand scheme "I was just wondering."

"Loren?" Her tone is pressing. She's knows me too well.

"A friend suggested something to me a few weeks ago and I guess I'm just trying to sort it out in my head."

She seems to know there's more to it than I'm letting on but lets the conversation slip past her like coins through fingers. "Did Mel and Adam have fun at the dance last night? I saw the video on her blog and they seemed to."

I had seen the video this morning, right after Mel had uploaded it. Mel and Adam seemed to have danced most of the night, alongside Carissa and Cali, Ben, Den and Cameron and a few of his friends. In many of the shots of Cameron, he was dancing with a girl named Jenny whom, according to Melissa was in his Spanish class. Apparently he had asked her to the dance on Friday after the Lacrosse game.

Thinking back thorough the texts from last night and this morning's phone call, I knew "Yes" was a safe answer. "Apparently they danced the entire time and when Mel came home she crashed pretty quickly. She woke up with her shoes still on."

Mom seemed to get a good laugh at Melissa's expense "Poor thing. She must have had fun to be that tuckered out. She's usually a bundle of energy from dawn 'till dusk."

"Had I known that that's all it would have taken I would have forced her to a school dance ages ago."

Then Mom eyes me, a wonder filled look glossing over her eyes "Why didn't you go with them? I know you may have felt like a third wheel but I'm sure Eddie would have gone with you."

I cracked a tiny smile "Bring Eddie to a high school dance?"

"I've seen how he is with you Lo, I'm sure if you had asked him-"

"Mom, I get trampled by kids at school because I _know_ Eddie, if he actually showed up at my school…" I shook my head at the sheer thought of it. "That's just not a good idea."

Sitting up from her position on the couch, she tuckered her legs to her side and leaned forward over the arm "What about Prom?"

"What about it?"

"Are you going?"

She was fishing. "I kind of promised Mel that I would."

Mom's smile could not be contained as it quickly spread onto her glossed lips "Are you going to ask Eddie?"

Laughing slightly, I furrowed my brows "Didn't we just go over this?"

"Prom will be held a hall, not in your school."

"Way to bend around the rules Mom." She gave a sly shrug as she sat back into the cushions. "I'll think about it. Eddie and I aren't even really dating or anything yet though, so I don't know if I really have the right to ask him."

"You're friends though aren't you? At the very least I mean?"

It had become abundantly clear that she wasn't going to let up on the conversation so I stood, bending down to pick my things "Yes we are. But anything can happen in a few months. Prom's still like a million years away."

"It's in three months Lo."

"Exactly" I offered a triumphant smile with my perky answer and made my way over to her, giving her a hug "I'm going to head upstairs."

She pressed her lips into a tight line and narrowed her gaze "You're tired at 8:00?"

I reached into my back pocket and checked the time, before extending the white digitals numbers into her line of vision "Its 8:12."

She simply shook her head. "Sleep tight."

Just as I was passing the front door to make my way to the upstairs staircase, the doorbell rang. Almost instantaneously, I reeled my brain for any indication of who it could be. Don had no friends. All of Adriana's friends would be too busy picking out their outfits for the next week while texting Adriana about it and Mom kept to herself most of the time. The one friend she ever really saw was Ellie, and given Don and Ellie's history, she had never made any indication that she would ever come by. Mom always seemed to head to her apartment instead.

Knowing that Mel had a strict curfew and that Adam rarely came over if Mel wasn't around, I opened the door half expecting to see a cop with an arrest warrant for Adriana, given her shady behavior as of late. I wasn't expecting to see Eddie.

"Hey."

"Hi, what are you doing here?"

Eddie held up the brown paper bag that he was holding, "A bakery opened up by my place a few months ago and I had heard really great things about it but Chloe never wanted to step foot near it. I was driving by tonight when they were closing and stopped in to pick up one of everything sweet. Want to taste test with me?"

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline, genuinely wondering if he was serious and when I realized he was, I stepped aside, "You're going on a sugar binge at like 8:15 at night?"

Using his free hand, he pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. "It's only 8:14." With that, Eddie stepped past me into the house "Kitchen?"

He didn't wait for an answer as he followed the hall that led to the kitchen and then placed the bag on the island, my laugh trailing behind him. "What's going on?"

From the other side of the island, Eddie looks up at me, a sparkle gleaming in corner of his eye that almost appears gold, like the sun reflecting off the ocean water at sunset. It's captivating, almost hypnotizing and it occurs to me that there is no reason for his sudden appearance, there's nothing he needs to tell me, there's no huge secret he's going to spill, he's just here to be here. He's here, simply to see me. And everything is confirmed as he splits a brownie in half and hands the larger piece to me "We're eating a brownie." And that's it. Who knew the world could be so simple I think as I take a bite of the brownie and my taste buds instantly begin to dance.

"Eddie?" We both turn to see my mom making her way into the kitchen, hugging her book closely to her chest "What are you doing here?" I can tell that she's happy to see him and even happier as she looks upon my face to see me smiling still, the smile that seems to stick to my face permanently whenever I'm around him.

Eddie quickly swallows the brownie that he had popped in his mouth and looks back at me for only a moment, "I just came by to see Loren. I hope that's okay?" His words are cautious, almost apologetic.

Noting that, Mom lets a reassuring smile appear on her face with a small breath that she lets out from her nose "Of course, we just weren't expecting you. Are you hungry? I can heat up some leftovers."

"No, thank you, I actually had dinner with my dad just before I came here." At the mention of Max, a small blush creeps onto my mom's cheeks and for a snippet of time, she's back to being seventeen. Memory layered on top of memory, flashing behind her eyes. "Congratulations by the way," Eddie says as he gestures to the book, retracting her from her daydream state.

Her eyes shoot down to the book and back up and Mom's smile seems to grow "Thank you," she says as she looks down at the cover. "I can't believe I'm reading another one of these." Then she turns to me, sarcasm now trickling from the contours of her face "When were you born again? I don't feel old enough to be your mother."

Reaching into the bag, I grab a cinnamon cookie and take a bite "February 2, 1994, it was only the best day of your life."

"Yes, because twelve hours of labor is lovely." Then she walks around the island and kisses the top of my head "You were worth it though." For as long as I could remember, people always frowned on my mother for having me so young, saying she threw her life away. Because of that, for as long as I can remember, she found every excuse to tell me that I was worth it. That she wouldn't change a thing.

"Do you two ever fight?" We both look at Eddie, then each other pondering the question.

Mom's eyes narrow in thought before she shakes her head "Not really. She always does her homework, gets good grades, does her chores without being told and never disrespects her curfew. So there's not much to fight about."

My eye brows pull together "What curfew?"

It then dawns on her that she's never really set a curfew. I've just never stayed out past an obscene hour. "Hmm…I guess we never did establish that, did we?" I shake my head. "Should we?"

"Is there a point?"

This time, she shakes her head. "No." She then reaches into the bag pulling out a lemon square and looks at Eddie, assuming that he brought the bag of treats "May I?"

"Of course" he seems surprised that she asked.

"Thank you" she kisses my head again "I'm going to take a bath but I need you to ask if Mel can drive you to and from school tomorrow. I need to take my car because I have a doctor's appointment at noon."

"I'm sure it'll be fine" I tell her. "Do you have any idea when my car will be ready to be picked up?"

Mom covers her mouth, having just taken a bite out of the square "They said tomorrow actually but not until later." I nod. "Make sure to lock the front door and set the alarm before you head up to bed okay?"

"I will. I love you" I tell her as she begins to make her way into the hall, dragging her feet slightly.

Her shoulders are slumped and I notice her blinking a little more rapidly. The subtle changes to her body from the pregnancy are already taking their toll on her energy levels. "I love you too Lo, goodnight you two."

"Goodnight" we reply in unison as she walks the length of the hall, disappearing around the corner.

Eddie watches her and only turns his attention back into the room once she's out of sight. Then he walks around the island and wraps his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. "How was your laundry night last night?"

My lips press into a smirk as I lean back into him. "Are you making fun of me?"

He gasps slightly in my ear "Me? I would never. Who wouldn't rather do laundry than go to a school dance?"

I rest my hands on top of his. "Someone who has a bunch of exams coming up?"

I can feel him shake his head "You are unlike any other girl I've ever dated." He seems unaffected by the words that have left his mouth, but I feel as if my paralyzed. It's the first time Eddie has given any indication as to what our romantic relationship is and the way my heart soars as he says it is something comparable to the majestic flight of an eagle.

Something in me tells me to not press the matter of his words, that that conversation will take place when it's meant to but still, hearing it leaves me with a sudden sense of relief.

I turn around in his arms, bringing mine around his neck and staring back into his eyes, that same golden sparkle resonating. "I'm glad you came here tonight."

"You are?" He seems almost relieved.

My answer is a kiss, one that lingers a little longer than intended but as my lips begin to tingle against his I swear I see a bursting ray of sunlight in the darkness behind my eyelids. It's like as he holds me, as his lips brush against mine in the most intimate way, flowers are able to bloom in the dead of winter and rain can fall in the driest of deserts. It's the answer to a question I've been terrified to ask, a sudden realization, or an epiphany.

Someone once said that you shouldn't fall in love, you should be in love because everything that falls comes crashing down. I disagree. If you don't fall, you don't give anyone the chance to catch you. If you simply are in love, you don't know if the one you love, love's you back. If you slowly fall, if you reel in it, roll around in the idea of it and close your eyes until you're safely in someone's arms declaring that love from the tallest of all mountains. Sometimes, you might not be caught and maybe that's what they mean by everything comes crashing down. All I know is I would fall a thousand times and crash nine hundred and ninety nine of them if it meant being caught once. Because even being here, dangling from a tree branch above him, holding on for dear life, not quite ready to let go and fall into his arms, not knowing if he'll catch me or have me fall flat on my face, I know one thing for sure:

I am in love with Eddie Duran.

I don't know the where, or the when but the why hits me like ton of bricks as we pull away, my eyes slowly open, staring back into his. He held my hand before he ever kissed me. He kept the first promise he ever made to me and danced with me, never complaining about my two left feet because somehow, I was able to match him step for step. He was there and ready to listen as I verbally sorted through my confusion over my first kiss. He pushed my fears aside and made me see the light in the possibility of a baby brother or sister. He worried about me. He made me embrace my talents and my dreams. Loving him had been inevitable from the beginning.

It was the familiar sound of the skipping foot steps down the stairs that made me pull out of his arms and head towards the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Just a few seconds later, Adriana came into the kitchen her eyes on her phone for a moment before she looked up, her mouth dropping open slightly as she took in Eddie's presence "Hi Eddie!" I was fairly sure that she hadn't meant for her voice to go up three octaves.

After clearing his throat, Eddie gave Adriana a small smile "Hey Adriana, how's it going?"

She shrugged, "Good, school is a toats snoozapalooza right now though. You know how it is, exams and all that before spring break."

Making my way back over to the island, I took a seat on one of the island stools and took a sip of water, "How would you know? You never show up to class."

"I do too" her words were harsh as was the glare that shot daggers in my direction.

"Twice a week doesn't count _Aid_" she had made it pretty clear that only her friends were allowed to call her by her nickname. I wasn't trying to be immature but in all honesty, forgiveness was a quality I lacked. I could hold a grudge like nobody's business and she crashed into my car. I was still a little ticked.

Ignoring my comment, she faced Eddie once more "So what brings you here tonight?" It amazed me how she could go from spitting venom to a honey coated and sickly sweet voice.

Eddie nodded in my direction "I haven't seen Loren in a few days so I thought I'd stop in and say hi."

Adriana forced a smile "How sweet" then she turned to me. "So you really were doing laundry last night? I thought that might have been code for you going to see him."

"I wouldn't need a code for that."

Glancing between Eddie and I with uncertainty tied into her features she shrugged "Whatevs, I just came to grab a water bottle." The she brushed past us, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and made her way back down the hall and those same skipping steps were soon heard ascending the stairs.

"You two are so different" Eddie said with a laugh.

"Thank you." I reached into the bag, taking out a chocolate chip cookie and then nodded to the patio "Want to go outside? I can grab a blanket and we can have a makeshift picnic" I could feel my face lighten up at the idea and as a result Eddie's did as well, that same sparkle in his eye becoming a little brighter, his smile growing a little wider.

I'm not sure how long we had been outside for. It felt like minutes but time with Eddie usually came to a standstill, so it could have been hours. And all we did was talk.

We talked about his dad, who had recently joined the dating scene once again. Apparently he was seeing Daphne Miller, someone he had toured with back in the day. Eddie seemed genuinely happy that his dad was moving on, he seemed to have some reservations about Daphne though. "I guess I'm just afraid that by dating her, he's still holding onto the past." His reservation made sense. By dating Daphne, someone from his and Katy's past, he was holding on to what was, instead of looking at what could be.

We talked about my fears for the future. What leaving high school meant.

We talked about music, his favourite bands and mine. We talked about instruments we couldn't play but wished that we could. He said violin. I said clarinet.

We talked about cookies, as we both reached in the bag to grab one at the same time. He told me his favourite was chocolate chip. I told him mine was cinnamon. We both wondered what a cinnamon chocolate chip cookie would taste like. Then we decided that we would make a batch someday.

Throughout our conversation, we somehow wound up laying together, my head on his chest as we gazed up at the stars. They seemed to be shining a little brighter tonight. I wondered why.

"Can I ask you something?" I nodded, close enough to hear him when his voice was barely above a whisper, afraid to disrupt the silence of the night. That's what I loved about the nighttime. It's the one time of day when you feel like the world belongs to you. Everyone is in their separate rooms, dreaming their separate dreams and if you stay awake long enough there's a certain air to it, like you are the only one in existence. "What is it with you and the stars? I know you told me about your dad taking you to see the meteor shower when you were little but it seems like there's more to it than that."

I cracked a small smile "You know how they say that some of the stars we see in the sky have already burnt out but we're just now seeing their light? Well, I guess I always saw that as a sort of comfort. Like no matter what, if I want things to go back to the way they were, or if I want to rewind time and take something back, all I have to do is look up."

"Do you look up often?"

"I used to." I admitted, but then turned my face to lock my eyes into his "But lately I've been pretty happy with the way things are."

Suddenly, the alarm on my phone went off disrupting the nighttime silence. "What is that?"

I blushed, though the dark blanket surrounding us made that fact very unobvious. "I set my alarm for midnight."

"Why?"

My lips met his quickly and I pulled away less than an inch before whispering "I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday."

This time his lips met mine.

**This was supposed to be out days ago but thanks to a major blizzard that took place here my internet has been all over the place. I'm so sorry guys! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	22. Solitude

"_Can't you see all along it was me,__  
how can you be so blind as to see right through me?_

_And Ooh, Solitude, still with me is only you  
Ooh, Solitude; I can't stay away from you"_

_-Solitude by Evanescence_

At the risk of adding another week to her grounded status and receiving another responsibility lecture from her mom, Mel dropped me off in front of Eddie's apartment building. Her eyes seemed to travel up the tall white structure, her jaw slightly unhinged. "Damn."

I couldn't contain the laugh that escaped past my lips as I unbuckled my seatbelt. "You should see the inside."

"The view from up there must be amazing" Mel said as her eyes remained fixated. "He lives in the penthouse right?" I nodded. "Life styles of the rich and famous" she sighed dreamily.

For Mel's birthday her parents had bought her a new car. Sonny was now but a dim memory, quickly shoved aside by the beautiful cherry coloured, Bex. I wasn't sure where that name had come from, Mel wasn't either. Regardless, it seemed to suit the car.

I took hold of Bex's handle and pushed the door open, only leaning back inside to say my goodbye. "Thank you for the ride."

Mel waved my thank you off, "You're going to be a big superstar. You can thank me by letting me ride your coattails all the way to the top."

I tossed my hair to one side of my head "You know, between you and Eddie I'm almost beginning to believe that it could happen." Mel smiled at my confession. "So stop. Soon my head's going to inflate to the point where I won't be able to get the graduation cap on it."

"Eh" Mel shrugged passively, "you never have been able to pull off hats."

Rolling my eyes with a small smile on my lips, I slammed her car door shut and through the small crack in the window, I shouted "Bye."

"Have fun with the birthday make out session!" She waved and then shifted her gear into drive and signaled before pulling away from the curb.

I tightened my grip on the ribbon strings of the gift bag I was holding as I turned towards the apartment building and made my way towards the door. It wasn't until after he had left last night, or rather early this morning that I realized I hadn't given him his gift. I blame it on his eyes. They were easy to get lost in. The rest of the world just seemed to dim around them. Then again, my absent mind could have been a result of his kiss. It was probably the kiss. Most definitely the kiss, I decided as the memory of his tongue delving into my mouth became almost tangible and a shiver ran through my spine as I remembered him sucking on my bottom lip softly, running his tongue over it as his fingers traced the outline of my jaw.

As I pulled the door open, I shook the memories from my mind and took a deep breath. My heart already racing in anticipation of the birthday make out session Mel had predicted. Mel was rarely wrong.

"What do you mean I'm not on the list? Check it again!" You know, some voices are forgettable, some memorable. Some are so shrill they impersonate nails on a chalk board while others seem deeper than the depths of hell. Some voices have no levels and they literally remind you of a straight line. Like Mrs. Hawke, my English teacher. No one else in the world has a voice as monotone as hers. Some voices are so melodiously enchanting, that they sing. Some are calm, so soft that they put you to sleep like a warm summer breeze. Then there's her voice, cool and harsh like broken glass, slicing through conversation.

"My apologies Miss Carter but you have been removed from the approved guest list. If you do not leave, I'm afraid I'll have to call security." Jeremy, usually so calm and collected actually seemed to shiver with fear. Not that I blamed him. Chloe's presence forced the 93 degree weather to drop just below freezing.

Making my way further into the lobby, my presence became noticed and both parties turned their attention to me. "Hey, Jeffery, is he in?"

Jeffery seemed to welcome the distraction, "Ah, Miss Tate, lovely to see you" he said as he came out from behind the desk. "He's been in all day actually, enjoying a relatively quiet birthday."

I smiled at the little tidbit of information "I think he's entitled to it."

Making his way to the elevator, Jeffery nodded "It's nice to see him taking the day off." Jeffery pushed the button, calling the elevator back down to the lobby and once the door opened, he gestured me to step inside.

"You've got to be kidding me." Like a thousand pieces of a shattered window. "He added that little girl to the list and took me off?" Chloe's eyes pierced mine from across the lobby, a perfect emerald shade. She took a deep breath as the elevator doors began to close. "Get him on the phone, I want him to tell me himself that he-" As the doors closed completely, her voice was cut off. Thank god for that.

After knocking, I took a step back as I waited to be let in. It was then that it dawned on me. If Chloe requested the Jeffery call up, Eddie must not be taking her calls. There was a sense of relief in that realization.

The door flew open but it wasn't Eddie who answered. "You must be Loren." His British accent was obvious, slightly slurred however. Shifting my eyes downward for a moment, I took note of the beer bottle in his hand and realized he must be a little buzzed though he seemed perfectly sober otherwise. "I'm Ian" he touched his hand to his chest, "Eddie's much better looking and far more talented best friend."

I smiled politely "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise" then he pushed the door open a little wider and gestured into the apartment "Come on in. Eddie's just taking a phone call. You know how he is" Ian closed the door behind us as I placed my purse on the piano "all work, hardly any play."

"Better than the alternative you take Ian" Eddie said as he came down the stairs. I realized it was the first time I had seen him in sweats. "All play and no work."

Ian took a swig from the bottle "I'll have you know I've been doing great work in South America." Eddie was making his way over to me as he gave Ian a pointed look. "Alright, alright" Ian held his free hand out in defense "I may have spent half of my time taking pictures of excited groupies on tour but I'll have you know, that all of my shots are incredibly classy."

"In other words Mama Blake will never see them?"

"They'd give my mother a bloody heart attack mate."

Eddie shook his head as his arm snaked around my waist "Hello" he said as leaned his head down towards mine, kissing my lips sweetly and briefly.

"Hi." I was surprised that he kissed me in front of Ian but at the same time, it was nice to finally have someone bear witness to whatever was going on between us. "For you" I held up the gift bag "Happy Birthday."

He looked genuinely surprised by the gesture "You didn't have to do that." He took the bag into his hand and moved towards the piano bench where he took a seat.

I barely caught sight of Ian making his way down the hall towards the kitchen as I moved in front of Eddie. "Don't get too excited, it's nothing fancy." Earlier in the day at school, as Eddie and I were texting he kept me informed of the mass of gifts that were piling up. Apparently Jake and the label had pitched in to buy him a car, his bass player had bought him a new leather jacket and Ian had shipped him a case full of different types of whiskies. I guess Ian's presence was part two of his gift. But being a high school student from the valley, there was only so much I could afford.

Eddie glanced up at me with his award winning smile before pulling the notebook I had bought him out of the bag and his face suddenly changed, it softened. "I needed a new one" he opened the book, my handwritten scrawl on the first ivory page. "Are these your lyrics?"

I slowly took a seat beside him on the bench "They're just bits and pieces of songs I've been working on. I thought if you got stuck writing you could use them as a kick start."

Closing the notebook and placing it behind himself on the piano, he turned to me, taking my hand in his "Thank you. I mean it. This is my favourite gift today." The sincerity that coursed through his eyes let me know that he was being completely honest. And just as I began to lean in to place a kiss on his lips a voice rang through the apartment disrupting the, could have been, romantic moment.

"Ed, is this cream cheese still good?" Ian was walking back into the living room, towards the piano a carton of cream cheese in one hand, a toasted bagel on a plate in the other. "It says it expired yesterday, but do you think I could get away with it?"

I made a face. Eddie shook his head. "I would strongly advise against it man."

With a short nod, Ian walked back into the kitchen what seemed like less than a second and then walked back out towards us, taking a seat on the chair, eating the dry bagel. "So what are the plans for tonight?" Ian asked with his mouth full. "Bar hopping? Strip clu-" his eyes snapped towards me as he cut his word short. "I mean…library?"

Eddie squeezed my hand, "I don't want to do anything that's going to draw attention."

Ian looked undoubtedly appalled "Last year, you, me, Chloe and her_gorgeous_ friend Hanna hit up every club on the strip."

"Do you remember anything else about that night?" Eddie asked.

Ian scoffed "No," then he leaned forward, pointing a finger in Eddie's direction "and that my friend, is how I know it was a fantastic night."

A small chuckle escaped Eddie "Well, this year I'd like to keep it low key."

Ian sighed "Alright, we'll save the fun for my birthday." Ian placed the plate on the table and then leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What do you want to do mate?"

A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and Eddie jumped to his feet to answer it.

"Hey Pop!" Max stood in the doorway, giving his son a birthday hug.

"Happy Birthday" Max said as they began to pull away. "I know you said you were going to stop by the club later but I wanted to give you your present now." Looking further into the apartment, Max took note of the fact that Eddie wasn't alone "Hi Ian, Hello Loren."

"Papa Max" Ian gave a short nod as he came to his feet walking towards the door.

"Hi Max" I offered a small wave, receiving a kind smile from Max.

Max then reached to the side of the doorway and lifted a guitar into view. "No way" Eddie stepped back, taking it the sight.

Max stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind himself "You used to beg me to let you play it as a kid."

"Believe me, I remember." Eddie took the guitar, staring at it in awe.

That's when I noticed the name at the top of the headstock "a Martin?" Suddenly I was reined in awe as well.

"Cool." Obviously Ian had no knowledge of guitars.

Eddie pulled Max in for another hug "Thank you Dad."

As they pulled away this time, Max eyed Eddie carefully "So, are you aware that Chloe is downstairs harassing Jeffery to let her up?"

With an eye roll, a colourful four letter word and a heavy sigh Eddie was out the door, making his way down to the lobby to deal with Chloe's antics, Max right behind him.

Then it was just me and Ian and the silence that over took the room after the slam of the apartment door. I had to admit that Ian was not what I had been expecting. With Eddie being so calm and sweet and sensitive, I half expected his best friend to be much of the same. I hadn't expected Ian. He struck me as the party going, club hopping, drunk by noon player. He had brought up Chloe in front of me like it was nothing, and knowing full well that Eddie and I were…whatever we are, he suggested that Eddie spend his birthday at a strip club. I had to admit that it annoyed me no end.

Then again, could I really be surprised that Eddie had a best friend so vividly different from himself? One look at Melissa and me and most people would never put together the fact that we were practically sisters. She was the wild, ostentatious, sassy, witty and overzealous one. I was the tame, shy, quiet, bookworm who had never kissed a boy before the age of eighteen. She dressed in loud colours and patterns, I wore pastels. She told it how it was, I held back, afraid to hurt anyone's feelings. The more I thought about it, the more I just saw the cards fall into place.

I heard Ian shift in the seat a little, his eyes on me as I looked up. "Well, we can both sit here silently and judge one another or we can come out with it and lay it all on the table."

"Excuse me?"

He shrugged his sweater off and unraveled the scarf from around his neck, making himself comfortable. "One day, everything in Eddie's life is perfect. He has a gorgeous model fiancée and he's blowing up the charts, fresh off his first world tour. The next he's broken up with the only girl I've ever heard him say he can't live without and completely depressed and apparently, according to him, the only thing holding him together is the valley girl he met one night." Ian was now on his feet, pacing. "He's says that you're down to earth and not pretentious and you write songs and your voice reminds him of this mother's and then he's telling me he's kissed you and he's a wreck. He's conflicted, he's confused, he has a million emotions running through his head all at once and yet all he wants to do is confuse himself more, and kiss you again." In his rant, Ian says things I'm sure were never meant for my ears.

My lack of response and unmoving body seemed to wind Ian down and he retook his seat, burying his head in his hands. I noticed I was biting my thumb nail nervously and quickly pulled it out of my mouth, resting my hand on my lap. "I don't want to hurt him Ian."

Ian's eyes dart upwards to meet mine as he lets out a sigh. "Don't." It's a harsh and pointed word and yet pleading. "He loved Chloe. He was completely devoted to her." I broke our gaze, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth as he mentioned her again. "I never thought he could ever feel like that for another girl. And then you…" Through a blink, my eyes met his gaze again. "You love him don't you?"

A sharp intake of breath gave him his answer.

"It's obvious in the way you look at him, you know?" He smiled a smile that was barely there. "There's a mystery and anticipation in your eyes. It's like you're pinching yourself every time he so much as smiles at you."

I don't answer. This development was still new to me and the last thing I wanted to do was discuss it with a stranger, much less a stranger who happened to be Eddie's best friend. I had yet to tell Melissa. Though something told me she had known for a while. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because" Ian leaned forward on his elbows once again "I want to make sure that the next woman my best friend falls for, falls for him too."

Keeping my eyes locked on Ian's, I leaned forward slightly as well. "He's my best friend too Ian."

Ian gave me a short nod. "I think I get it now."

"What?"

"What he sees in you."

The apartment door opened, a disgruntled Max behind a fuming Eddie. "You can't let her get to you like this." Max closed the door as he spoke.

Running his hands through his hair, Eddie shook his head "She crossed the line back there" he said as he pointed to the door.

"I'm not disagreeing with you Eddie but this is what she wants. She wants to get you riled up because the angrier you get the more you have to say and the more you say-"

"The more she gets to say back, I know." Eddie took a deep breath. "I'm going to go change." With that and not another word, Eddie made his way to the stairs.

Six eyes followed Eddie as he disappeared around the corner and up the stairs and while I thought silence was sure to cover us, Ian's voice rang out "What'd the bitch do?"

Max sighed, reaching one of his hands to the back of his neck, letting it rest. Both Ian and I had our eyes bearing into Max at this point. "Chloe had some… choice words to say about Loren."

Understanding seemed to coat Ian's face immediately "I'm going to go check on him." With that, Ian was up and out of the chair, bounding up the stairs.

I still hadn't moved from the piano bench. It felt like I was stuck, tied down by the weight of Ian's words and the knowledge that Chloe had said, whatever heinous things she had said. "Loren?" Max's voice pulled me away from my thoughts and made me focus my attention back into the room. His dark brown eyes searching mine "Are you okay?"

With a small smile tugging on the corners of my lips, I nodded. "I'm fine."

"You're worried about him."

Pursing my lips, I shrugged "I just wish she wasn't around every corner. It seems like whenever Eddie makes strides to move on from her, she butts her way back into his life."

Max considered my words for a few minutes as he took a seat beside me, but facing the piano; his fingertips resting on the keys but not playing a single note. Eddie had told me that he hadn't seen Max play an instrument since Katy passed. I turned in my seat, facing the piano as well and started to play. "You're in love with my son, aren't you?"

I didn't look up from the piano keys but stilled my fingers "Yes." Was I really that transparent?

From the corner of my eye I saw Max's lips pull upwards but he didn't say a word. Instead he watched as my fingers resumed their stride over the keys and listened to the improvised tune I was playing.

"Max?" He made no sound. "What did Chloe say?"

He simply shook his head "It doesn't matter." Lifting my eyes to meet his, he caught onto the fact that I wasn't about to let it go. "She basically accused you of being her, of being a gold digger with a hidden agenda."

I stilled my fingers again but I didn't reply. "No one believes anything that comes out of her mouth anymore Loren" he said in attempt to comfort me.

"Do you think Eddie might ever…" the words were caught in my throat.

However, Max saw through me and smiled at the side of my face as I resumed playing. "I think he'd be an idiot not to fall in love with you."

About ten minutes later, as Eddie and Ian came back downstairs, I was playing an old MK song, 'I Never Stood a Chance' and as I began the chorus, Max began to sing along. _"I never stood a chance. Every step I take leads me right back to you, and new every hello we say is like the first time. I can't go back to before I knew you or to before I caught you glance my way. From the first moment we met, 'till this very moment here, I never stood a chance."_

"Looks like Papa Max has still got it" I heard Ian say from behind me and I lifted my fingers from the keys.

Max stood from the bench, scratching the back of his neck "Nah, Loren's angelic voice just masked these rusty old vocal chords." Following Max's lead, I too stood as I wrung my hands together and hung my head at the kind compliment Max had just bestowed. Then I felt Max's hand on my shoulder and I lifted my gaze to meet his "I have to say that I'm a little surprised you knew that song. It was definitely one of our lesser known songs."

I let out a small laugh "My mom had me listening to your albums before I was born." My eyes then fell on Eddie who had changed into a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt. Whatever Ian said to him seemed to have calmed him down, the tension from his shoulders had disappeared and his jaw was no longer so harshly set. Still, I couldn't help but be a little worried "Are you okay?"

As he let out a short breath, a smile fell on his lips and he took a few strides to stand in front of me. His hands now on my hips and his eyes holding mine, searching for something "I'm okay" he assured me. "I didn't mean to go off like that."

I rested my hands on his forearms and offered a little shrug "It probably didn't help that Chloe saw me come up here."

"She was down there when you came?" Apparently Chloe hadn't mentioned that.

"Yeah, and she seemed pretty upset. Jeffery had threatened to call security if she didn't leave, so I thought he was handling it. If I'd known she was still down there I would have told you."

Eddie nodded "Security arrived just after my dad and I did."

"What did she want, anyway?" It was Ian who asked.

"She just offered more excuses" Max replied before shaking his head. "We shouldn't be talking about this, we should be figuring out how to celebrate tonight." Eddie was about to speak up but Max continued "I know you want to keep it low key, so about we just go out to dinner, my treat. I can make a reservation at Rumor" then he gestured to both Ian and I "you're both invited of course." Then he fixed his eyes on Eddie, waiting for an answer.

Cracking a smile, Eddie nodded "That would be great Pop."

Max smiled triumphantly and looked at Ian and then me.

"I'm in" Ian said quickly, as if the idea of his declining was the most preposterous idea in the world.

I cringed slightly as the words left my mouth "I'm not sure if I can. My step sister is out with her boyfriend tonight and my step dad usually works late, so it's just my mom and I. I don't want to have her eat dinner alone."

Max smiled. "Well then, there's only one thing we can do about that."

Eddie nodded, his arms slipping around my waist "Invite your mom to come with us."

**This was supposed to come out on Sunday but I wasn't completely happy with it then and I'm still not but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Hopefully it's not too horrible!**

**Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and keep a look out this week for the prologue of my new Hollywood Heights story "Lost for Words." I've been working on it for a while and am so excited to start writing it! Hopefully you guys will like it.**

**Stay classy!**

**-Tia**


	23. Love's Just Not Allowed

"_Don't look down,_

_I tell myself right now,_

_Love's just not allowed."_

_-Love's Just not Allowed by Hayley Taylor_

Rumor was different at night. Outside lining the sidewalk was a small cluster of paparazzi. Their cameras out and ready, their index fingers hovering over the capture buttons as they waited in anticipation for someone of importance to climb out of a car. Needless to say, they were quite familiar with the sting of disappointment. Stretching from the inside of the restaurant to the side of the building outside was a line of people, waiting to be seated. Every one of them dressed impeccably, women in form fitting dresses and men in sports jackets and button down shirts. Through the windows, the florescent lights lit up the street and on the other side of the glass, tables were full of people. Some appeared deep in conversation, as if indulging themselves in business. Others were gazing loving into each other's eyes as they held hands across the table and some tables were erupting with laughter, simply groups of friends who were out enjoying their Monday evening. I could tell my mom was just as infatuated with the scene in front of us as I was as we made our way across the street.

As we passed by the line of impatient people waiting to be seated, and made our way into the restaurant, narrowed glances were thrown at us. Mom simply trailed behind me as I pulled the door open and took a step inside, the fairly calm and quiet atmosphere from the outside forgotten as dozens of voices and clanking silverware against ceramic plates filled my ears. We made our way to the front where the hostess stood, crossing off names. When she felt presence she lifted her gaze, a somewhat sincere apologetic smile lifting the corners of her mouth. "The wait for a table is about an hour and the line, unfortunately, is all the way outside the door."

"We actually have a reservation" my mom informed the hostess, her voice a little higher than normal as the excitement of meeting Max coursed through her veins.

"Oh!" The hostess seemed genuinely surprised but then logged onto the computer "What name is the reservation under?"

Mom looked to me but in all honesty I wasn't sure "Umm…Duran, Max or Eddie?"

Quickly, the hostess lifted her gaze once again, her eyes snapping up to meet mine. She couldn't be much older than me and therefore it was safe to assume that she knew who Eddie was, the questioning look in her eyes as she looked me over once also confirmed my assumption. "Follow me." With a sudden toss of her orangey red hair, she stepped out from behind the stand and began weaving us through the rows of strategically placed tables until we came to a large table near the back of the restaurant where Max, Eddie and Ian were already seated.

As soon as we came into view, the three men stood, Eddie making his way around the table and towards me before bringing me into his arms and whispering a sweet "Hello." Max was quick to pull me in afterwards as Eddie greeted my mom and Ian stood awkwardly in the background.

I looked past Max's shoulder as we pulled away and offered a small wave "Hey Ian."

"Nice to see you again Loren" was his, seemingly slightly out of character, formal reply.

After a quick look of confusion I turned to my mom "Mom," then gestured to Max "this is Max," and vice versa. "Max, this is my mom Nora."

Mom held her hand out towards Max, a not so small blush burning her cheeks "Hi, it's so nice to meet you! I am such a huge fan of yours."

Max took her hand in his, smiling at her words "My favourite kind. It's lovely to finally meet you Nora."

Placing his hand on the small of my back, Eddie guided me to the seat beside his and pulled the chair out for me as I sat. Max did the same for my mom and once she was seated she caught Ian's eye from across the table, "And you must be Ian?" She glanced at me for confirmation. "It's lovely to meet you Ian."

"It's nice to meet you too Ms. Tate."

Mom cringed slightly, "Please, call me Nora." Ian gave a short nod. "So, Loren didn't tell me how you and Eddie know each other."

I realized that I actually didn't know the answer to that. "Ian was the photographer on one of my first photo shoots" Eddie explained as he turned to me with a teasing smile. "You know that poster you told me you had on your wall?" I felt my face turn a shade of scarlet, "It was from that shoot."

As a chuckle shook his shoulders, Ian Leaned forward slightly "You have a poster of Eddie in your room?"

"_Had_" I stressed as the others laughed as well and I soon felt the warmth of Eddie's hand as it rested on my knee.

It was then that our waitress came to the table, filling the glasses with water and then taking our drink orders. As her gaze lingered on Eddie, he gave her a kind smile but squeezed my knee reassuringly. As she walked away, Eddie's hand lifted and reached for mine under the table, intertwining our fingers.

"So Nora, I hear congratulations are in order. Loren told me that you're expecting." Mom seemed surprised to hear Max say her name. "Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

Placing her glass of water back down after taking a small sip, she smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. We can't find out for another month or so."

Then Max turned to me "Do you have a preference?"

I shook my head as a small smile tugged on my lips. The more the idea of having a baby brother or sister sank in, the more excited I became. The circumstances weren't ideal but it was a miracle regardless. "I just want it to be healthy. Though I'm pretty sure my step sister is praying for a girl."

Mom let out a small laugh "She's pretty set on it."

"I bet Don's hoping for a boy" Eddie said "to help even out the household."

With a laugh and a small wince, Mom said, "Well if it is, he's pretty set on the name Donald Junior."

"No" was my quick reply.

"That's what I said" was her quick assurance.

The waitress came back, placing our drinks in front of each of us and then stepped as she held up a bottle of Rosé. "Compliments of the owner" she said as she placed the bottle down on the table before once again departing, taking note of our unopened menus. Though I couldn't help but notice her look back towards us, or rather Eddie.

I wondered if the owner would accommodate the same compliments to anyone who was celebrating a birthday or if Eddie was an exception. I convinced myself of the later. Everyone seemed to know this was his favourite restaurant and I'm sure, that being public knowledge, increased business.

"…about 5'10", with the longest legs you've ever seen." As I stepped away from my inner thoughts, I caught wind of Ian and Eddie's ongoing conversation as my mom and Max seemed preoccupied in their own. The bottle of wine had already begun making its way around the table. Max had poured his and my mom's and then handed the bottle to Ian who was currently pouring his own. "I think she's Swedish, or maybe Finnish…anyway, she's gorgeous. Blonde hair, blue eyes and apparently she did a commercial with Chloe a few years ago."

Taking the bottle from Ian, Eddie poured his own glass. "Why do you keep bringing her up man?"

"I'm just saying that Cora and Chloe know each other. Before the break up I was hoping the four of us could get together and hang out when Cora comes down in a few weeks."

"Well that's not happening." Eddie turned to me and glanced down at the bottle, silently asking if I wanted any but as I shook my head he didn't look the least bit surprised. He placed the bottle down on the table and covered my hand with his, this time on top of the table.

Ian rolled his eyes "That's why I said _before_."

"So is she coming down to L.A. for work or just to visit you?"

Ian took a sip of wine and then placed the glass back on the table. "A bit of both I think. She has a photo shoot here but she's going to be staying at my apartment." The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk and for some reason I was suddenly grateful for my naïve nature.

"So is this girl serious or…?"

"I told you mate, I'm done with serious for a while. You know how it is" he shrugged his nonchalance.

At Ian's words, the sudden desperation for covers I could grab and throw over my head consumed me. It was just another reminder that no matter how many times Eddie took my hand or squeezed my knee or kissed my lips or pulled me close, we were taking things slow. I felt as if I was being thrown mixed signals at every second of the day, he either wanted to be with me or he didn't. I hated the in between. I understood wanting to keep us out of the public for a while, I was fine with that but since realizing that I loved him that my heart ached for every touch, every caress, every kiss; it was becoming clear that this casual thing was not me and I didn't want it to be.

Then I thought of telling him how I felt, and I was terrified. The thought of not being with him, or scaring him away was worse than how I felt now. I wished I hadn't fallen in love with him because if I hadn't maybe confronting all of these things would be easier.

With my free hand I opened my menu and began skimming through the entrees, the rest of the table following suit soon after. A few minutes later, our waitress had reappeared, notepad in hand, ready to take our orders which we did in the same order as the drinks. Afterwards, she took our menus and walked away but not before shooting Eddie another flirty smile, her eyes completely blurring out the fact that my hand was still firmly in his.

"So what possessed you open a club?" Mom's cheek was rested in the palm of her hand, her elbow on the table as she once again indulged herself in conversation with Max.

"Eddie did."

"I did what?" Eddie and Ian's conversation came to an abrupt halt as he heard his dad say his name.

"You convinced me to open the club."

"And for good reason" Ian declared. "Sunset was getting dull. It needed a touch of the Duran magic. Not to mention you actually play good music, none of that techno dance rubbish that most places play."

While reaching for her glass of wine, Mom smiled "It must keep you busy."

A wide eyed nod was Max's reply.

"So with the club taking up most of your time, do you still play some music or is that on the back burner these days?"

Her question seemed to surprise Max and I was sure that old memories from his golden days were creating a slideshow behind his eyes. "Once Katy passed, I stopped playing and to be honest I haven't really felt the desire to start up again. Although" he added quickly "singing with Loren today was definitely a treat."

Max sent me a wink while my mom looked confused. "I was playing 'I Never Stood a Chance' at Eddie's earlier and Max sang with me."

"You raised a very talented daughter and very bright, I know she got into Brown. You must be very proud Nora."

Mom smiled at Max's words but her eyes were on me "I got lucky."

"No, I was raised well" I countered as I watched her smile grow.

"You got into Brown?" Ian seemed genuinely shocked. "What are you going to study?"

It was funny. A few months ago that answer would have slipped out of my mouth easily like it had since middle school but my life had changed dramatically recently. The question I needed to ask myself was: Could I give up Brown to attempt a music career? That was not an answer I had figured out just yet. "I can get my BA at Brown and then apply to law school afterwards."

"Ah, that explains the no drinking thing. Practice what you preach and all that right?"

Considering his explanation, I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Eddie." Broken glass.

Mom and Max turned around, Ian, Eddie and I lifted our gazes to rest on Chloe who was standing beside a middle aged woman with blonde fried hair and pursing lips. Her nose had the same slope as Chloe's though her eyes weren't as glossy but all the same, it was easy to put together. That was Jackie, Chloe's mother.

Max stood, a few inches shorter than Chloe in her stilettos. "You need to leave, now." It was the first time I had heard coldness in Max's voice. "You have no right to be here."

"He's my fiancé Max" Chloe replied, shooting daggers through her eyes.

"Ex fiancé" Max corrected her. And that's when things got weird.

Chloe's eyes filled with tears, the white of her eyes stinging red, and the florescent lights glimmering in her eyes. "I just need five minutes. Please Eddie."

First taking a second to finish his glass of wine, Eddie then stood, lifting his hand from mine and grabbing Chloe's as he led her out of the restaurant. Max let out an exasperated sigh as he retook his seat and while my eyes had fallen downward, I could still feel my mother's concerned gaze burning a hole through my head.

Ian simply reached for the bottle of Rosé and refilled Eddie's glass before adding more to his own. "He should get a damn restraining order" he mumbled beneath his breath.

The woman I believed to be Jackie remained silent as she wrung her hands together. I could tell she was humiliated by her daughter's intrusion by the way her head hung and her shoulders slumped over. I felt bad for her.

Our food soon came and the table remained silent other than the faint whispers of "Thank you" as the food was placed on the table. Ian was the first to dig in, stuffing his mouth with a fork full and Max soon followed, cutting into his steak. I caught my mom's gaze as I lifted my eyes. She had lifted her fork and mouthed "Eat" to me as she took a bite of her pasta.

"Excuse me." I pushed my chair back, stood and made my way to the washroom.

There was no reason to believe that Eddie would rekindle any sort of relationship with Chloe and there was no reason for me to feel like my lungs were closing and something heavy was resting on my chest. There was no reason to feel like my world was crashing or like my heart was breaking. All I knew was that as much fun as Eddie and I were having together, as much as I loved spending time with him and holding his hand and kissing him and talking to him and learning everything I could about him and letting him know everything about me, I hated being in love with him. I hated not knowing, what I meant to him. I hated the mixed signals. I hated the uncertainty. I hated watching another girl catch his eye and then having him place a hand on my knee. What did that mean? Was it comforting? Was it reassuring? Was it nothing? I hated that another girl could smile at him and that he would take my hand but when it came to introducing him to the people in my life, I barely knew what to call him. He was my friend but I wanted more. I needed more and I needed to tell him that.

I had barely registered the fact that my knuckles were white as I gripped the edges of the sink, my arms holding me up as my knees shook. Slowly, my eyes lifted and I met myself in the mirror. My eyes were dry, though my eyebrows were slanted in a panic stricken way. My pink, glossy lips were firmly pressed together, my jaw set. I looked as if I was barely holding it together as I tore my eyes away from my own reflection and walked into one of the stalls, locking the door behind me.

"…what happened between them anyway?" I heard a girl say as the bathroom door flew open and a two pairs of heels clicked against the tiled floor.

"Someone cheated" I heard another voice reply. "I think it was Chloe but then Eddie moved on like, really quickly with some girl."

"You mean that Loren Tate chick? I thought Eddie said they were just friends?"

The second voice scuffed "Yeah right. Has Eddie Duran ever been seen around with a girl who's just his friend? No and honestly I don't think any girl could handle being just friends with him. I mean he's Eddie Duran for crying out loud. There's only so long you could hold out before you'd tear his clothes off."

The first girl laughed. "So what do you think Chloe's doing here? What do you think they're talking about?"

"Well Chloe looked desperate so she's probably trying to get him back."

"Ugh, I hope Eddie kicks her ass to the curb. I mean, seriously, who would cheat on a man like Eddie Duran?"

"Tell me about it." I heard a click, probably one of them closing a clutch. "Shall we?"

"Back to business" the first girl sighed before I once again heard the click of heels and the door opened and closed.

I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone, dialing number two on my speed dial. "Hey, how's the birthday dinner going?"

Mel's familiar, perky voice instantly brought a smile to my face. "Chloe crashed."

"What?" I wasn't sure if the question was out of surprise or if she honestly hadn't heard me. In the back ground, loud music seemed to be blaring through the speakers and many voices seemed to speaking all at once.

"Are you at a party?"

"What? Hold on a sec Lo." A minute later, I heard the sound of a door closing and the disruptive noises were muffled. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Chloe crashed Eddie's birthday dinner."

"Oh no," Mel let out a sigh "tell me he kicked her to the curb."

I smiled, thinking of what the girls that had just left were saying. "No, he went outside to talk to her."

"Oh, so he's going to kick her to the curb in private. That's very gentlemanly."

There was a beat of silence. "I don't know if I can do this anymore Mel."

"Do what?"

I shrugged, even though I knew she couldn't see me "This thing with Eddie."

"Loren…" she seemed to test my name, almost warningly.

"I'm serious. I don't know what we are anymore. We say were taking things slow but it doesn't feel that way and I don't know what to call him anymore. He's not my boyfriend but he's more than a friend and because of that I don't have a right to be jealous but I am jealous. I'm jealous of Chloe and of every other girl in the world who bats an eye lash at him because I'm terrified that he'll go running over to them. He doesn't owe me anything." I took a deep breath as I finished my small rant.

"You love him." She said it so simply, like it was the most basic concept in the world.

I nodded. "Yeah, I really do and I think it's breaking my heart."

"Lo." She breathed my name, my words weighing on her. "Just talk to him, tell him how you feel."

The laugh that escaped me was beyond sarcastic "Yeah, I don't think he's ready to hear that."

"So you'll leave the love part out but tell him that you want more of a commitment. Tell him you want to call him your boyfriend, tell him you want him to hold your hand in public and that you don't want to hide your relationship anymore. Be honest with him."

If I was the type to cry, I would be balling right now. "I don't know what would be worse Mel, calling it off without having that conversation or having that conversation and having him reject me."

"They would both suck Lo but at least with option B you won't have any 'what if's'. And who knows, he might just be willing to try the commitment thing."

Letting out a huge sigh, I stood from the toilet and unlocked the stall door. "I wish I had a crystal ball so I could see if that conversation would be worth having."

"It will be, trust me but if you ever come across one of those, crystal ball thingy's let me know. Maybe it would explain to me why my mom treats me like the second coming of Satan."

"She is not that bad."

"You only see her a few times a week. Trust me, she is that bad."

I let out a small laugh and took a deep cleansing breath, "Thank you. You're always there for me."

"That's what best friends are for. Now hang up on me and put that man in his place."

"Bye."

"Love you!" We hung up and with one quick glance in the mirror I made my way to the door, pulling it open.

As I turned the corner to make my way past the bar and back to our table, I saw Eddie and Ian sitting on a pair of bar stools, empty shot glasses in front of them. "…so it was the same bull that she's told you before?" Ian asked.

"More or less" Eddie replied.

"So then what's the problem?" Ian rose the shot glasses to catch the bartender's attention and watched as the bartender made his way over and refilled the glasses.

Eddie picked up his glass, clicked it with Ian's and downed another shot. After a second, and a sour face, he placed the shot glass on the counter shaking his head "There is no problem, I'm done with Chloe. It's weird actually. My feelings for her are completely gone. At least that's how it feels."

Smiling at his friend, Ian took his shot. "You know why that is, don't you?"

Shaking his head, Eddie laughed "No, but please enlighten me."

"You have genuine feelings for someone else mate."

Eddie scratched the back of his neck, a small smile tugging on his lips "Is it that obvious?"

Suddenly, Ian looked unimpressed "Are you kidding me? For the past two months, most of our conversations have been about Loren. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're falling in love with her." Eddie remained silent, staring down at the shot glass in front of him. Ian studied him carefully "You're not-"

"No, I'm not in love with her Ian. We just started dating or whatever it is that we're doing but-"

"But…" Ian pushed.

"I think I could be, one day." Eddie gave his friend a nervous smile "She's amazing, you know? She's sweet and caring and talented and bright and yet beautiful."

Nodding, Ian smiled "You don't find many girls who are the whole package."

"But Loren is and I trust her, which is so bizarre. You know how hard it is for me to meet people I trust."

Ian squeezed his eyes together for a moment "Don't get mad" he began as Eddie eyed him curiously "but I kind of had a talk with Loren earlier."

Letting his shoulders tense in anticipation of what was next, Eddie shook his head "What did you say to her?"

"I told her not to hurt you and I have to tell you that I believed her when she said she wouldn't. She really cares about you man, and I think she's scared of getting hurt too." Ian braced himself for whatever was going to come next.

However, Eddie seemed to relax as opposed to tensing. "The night I first kissed her, she told me that I had the power to hurt her and I told her that I didn't want to. I didn't realize how much I meant that until now."

Considering his words before speaking, Ian let out a sigh then placed a hand on Eddie's shoulder "I think you need to talk to her mate. Tell her how you feel. Tell her what you just told me. Stop with this non committal crap that you've been spewing because we both know that it's not you."

Eddie nodded and then stood. "We should get back to the table."

"Yeah, is it just me or was your dad flirting with Nora?" Ian asked as he too stood and the two began making their way back.

_Breathe Loren, breathe. _I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding as I began making my way to the table, Eddie and Ian's conversation replaying in my mind a million times. For the first time, I felt like Ian was in support of mine and Eddie's relationship. Like, he didn't just care about Eddie getting hurt but like he didn't want Eddie hurting anyone either. It felt as if Ian was looking out for me by looking out for his friend and that sent a wave of relief rushing from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes. I knew that Ian's opinion was going to mean a lot to Eddie.

I wasn't hurt by Eddie's confession. I knew he didn't feel the same way for me as I felt for him. I wasn't a mending a broken heart when we met, it made sense that I fell first but hearing that conversation was like glancing into the crystal ball I had joked about with Mel. Now I knew that the conversation Eddie and I needed to have wasn't going to result in my own heart break but that it was going to set us on firm ground.

As I came back to the table, my mom's radar seemed to go off and she turned, noticing me first. "Is everything okay?"

I held up my phone and I walked around the table to my seat, "Yeah, I just needed to talk to Mel about something."

"What?"

"It got us on the topic of crystal balls" I told her, "do you really want to know?"

She didn't even have to think about it "No, that's okay. Sometimes it's nice to remain ignorant about what goes on in Mel's head."

I laughed slightly as I took my seat and turned to Eddie "Is everything okay with Chloe?"

He nodded "I think so." Then he took my hand and squeezed it gently. It was his way of saying not to worry. That everything was going to be okay.

**Quick words of thanks to Christina and Cindy, who continue to review as guests and because of that I can never thank them personally so thank you girls SO much! I read every review you two send in and they mean the world to me! **

**Stay Classy!**

**-Tia**


	24. The Sound of Silence

"_And in the naked light I saw_

_Ten thousand people, maybe more  
People talking without speaking  
People hearing without listening"_

_-The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel_

It was silent. Though not entirely. Through the windows, cars passing on the other side of the road could be heard zooming by and the sound of Eddie's engine filled the corners of silence as well. People walking by on the sidewalks would sometimes shout or their laughter would ring out and carry, filling those spaces too. However, with the radio switched off and the dead of night encasing us, it felt silent. I wondered briefly it was possible to feel a sound, or lack thereof. In my own mind-I decided-it was.

Silence can embrace you, hold onto you tightly and leave you gasping for air when it comes on unexpectedly or is shared between strangers or long lost friends who have change since your last meeting. And yet this silence was being played, as if it tugged on heart strings allowing a sweet melody to play and create a mutual understanding between the two of us. The day had been filled with ups and downs and just now we were both getting the chance to contemplate it and understand it.

After dinner, we all stood from the table, the men buttoning their jackets, my mom and I grabbing our purses. Eddie and I found each other's hands and held tightly onto each other as we stepped out the back entrance with the rest of the group. I saw my mom's eyes light up and dim within seconds as Max suggested she come back to MK. Apparently he had a CD filled with unpublished MK songs that he thought she might like to listen to, that caused the light to enter eyes. The remembrance that she and I had come together is what caused them to dim. Then they lit up again as Eddie offered to drive me home. Suddenly my mother was the eighteen year old as she and Max waved goodbye to us and they began walking around the building, Max walking Mom back to her car. It was just Eddie and I then as Ian too walked away, telling Eddie he would see him later.

Now, we were on route back to the valley in the silent studded car. "You can ask me you know." He said suddenly, breaking through the silence with a sudden pierce.

I tore my eyes away from the window and the city lights that seemed to blur together as we drove past. "What do you mean?" In all honesty, I really didn't know what it was that he was referring to.

"Chloe, I think you're entitled to ask me questions about our conversation."

"Which one" I countered playfully, trying to make light of the situation.

"Either." For a moment his eyes met mine but then quickly returned to the road as mine remained glued to the side of his face. I was surprised to see how relaxed his facial features were. His lips were set in a straight line of concentration but the corners of his mouth were slightly pulled upwards in a relaxed state. His eyes were fixed, scanning the road ahead.

I pressed my lips together in thought. "Okay, what did she say to you about me? What got you so worked up back at your apartment?"

His eyebrows pulled together in curiosity "Who told you she said anything about you?"

"Your dad" I replied quickly. "Then Ian ran up to check on you."

With one quick nod I could see recollection flooding into him "Are you sure you want to know?" He seemed almost pained by the question. Was it so bad that he didn't want to repeat it? I knew Max had been holding out on me when I asked him for the details of the conversation, what else could she have said? My lack of response was enough to tell him to continue. "Editing out the choice four letter words she had thrown in for effect, she basically said that you were using me for your own fifteen minutes of fame. She said that you were probably just after my money and to make a name for yourself and that if you hadn't already you were going to make a pass at me eventually to trap me into something."

"You don't-"

"No I believe any of that" he assured me forcibly.

I couldn't help but smile at his words "That's not what I was going to say but thank you for that."

Eddie smiled as he met my eyes "Sorry, what were you going to say?" His eyes met the road once again.

"That you don't seem as affected by her anymore. Her name used to get caught in your throat almost and now it slips right off of your tongue. Even after you found out about her you seemed to hold on to some aspect of trust with her, but when you were telling me the things she said it's like you were spitting venom, like it left a bad taste in your mouth."

Eddie let my words hover for a minute as he took them in, analyzing them, depicting them, "I don't love her anymore." He shook his head letting those words sink in, "It's kind of exhilarating, knowing that." There was a beat of a pause. "I have you to thank for that you know."

Now I was curious "What did I do?"

"You didn't give up on me." There was something weighing his words down now, and it was like he was doing everything in his power to avoid the temptation to glance my way. "I know I haven't been completely fair to you through all of this but you're still here and you still look at me the way you did the night we met on that hill."

"Well I'm still in awe of you, just in a different way."

"How do you mean?"

How could I explain it? "When I first met you, you were Eddie Duran international rock star. I was infatuated with you and meeting you was like a dream come true. I had this larger than life image of you painted in my head and as I got to know you that image deteriorated. Now it's hard to think of you as the Eddie Duran I had tacked to my wall, thank you for bringing that up tonight by the way." Eddie simply laughed at my not-so-amused tone. "Now you're…my friend?" My statement somehow turned into a question and the way Eddie shifted in his seat told me that he had caught that. "So what did Chloe want at the restaurant?"

Eddie let out a heavy sigh, "Do you know who Osborne Silver is?"

"Yeah, he's a big shot movie producer."

Eddie nodded "Well he's on me about doing some musical remake and he's pretty adamant about making me the lead. Chloe wants to get into acting and so she's asking me to take the role so that I can convince Osborne to give her a role in another one of his movies. I do that, and she'll leave me alone for good. Or so she says."

A part of me wanted to scream out in frustration at how hypocritical Chloe was. She had voiced all of those concerns to Eddie at his place earlier and then pulled something like this. It was like she had no morals, no pride, and no decency. The one saving grace was that Eddie was no longer buying into any of her lies and desperate acts. For whatever reason, whether that reason was me like Ian had suggested or something else, Eddie was finally seeing Chloe for who she really was. He was no longer blinded by love.

"What are you going to do?" I asked as I took notice that Eddie had pulled onto my street.

He shook his head "I have no idea. I don't owe her anything so she shouldn't be allowed to make deals like that. At the same time the script from the movie is pretty good but I'm not sure I want to do films right now. I'm pretty content just focusing on my music."

Normally Eddie would pull right up to the front of my house but for some reason he pulled over at the edge of the driveway and as I reached across my lap, unbuckling my seatbelt, Eddie caught my hand. I slowly let the belt slide away from me. "Can I ask you something only slightly Chloe related?" He nodded. "What did Ian say to you at your apartment after you talked to her? You were fuming but when you came back down with Ian you were fine."

Eddie stared down at our hands as his fingers stroked mine "He told me that Chloe had ruined enough days for me and she wasn't allowed to ruin my birthday. He also said that whatever Chloe said was a load of shit and that there was an amazing girl downstairs who deserved better from me."

I stilled his hand, forcing him to look up at me "What did he mean by that?"

Eddie shrugged. "I wasn't sure when he said it but tonight when you were talking to Mel, Ian and I were at the bar and he basically told me not to hurt you. I hadn't realized it until then but if there's one other person Chloe has hurt through all of this, it's you." Our eyes met with softened expressions. "I used Chloe as an excuse to not get too close to you and all the while I was treating you like my girlfriend, lying to you and to myself. Ian was right, what I've been doing hasn't been fair to you."

"It's okay." My voice was soft, barely audible as I down casted my gaze taking note of the fact that our hands were rested into one another's.

"No it's not." My eyes snapped back up to meet his. "You've been my friend through all of this and I took advantage of that. I never stopped to think about what you were feeling or how confused you must be with all of the mixed signals I was sending."

I let out a heavy sigh. I hated that he was being so down on himself and yet, at the same time, I found truth in his words. "I told you we could take it slow."

"That was a month ago and since then a lot has changed between us." Then he leaned forward slightly, cautious not to lose my gaze "Hasn't it?"

"Yes, but I don't want you rushing into a relationship you're not ready for just to-" I was cut off with a kiss. I wasn't sure I should be upset by the action or not but regardless I leaned into it lifting one of my hands to rest gently on his cheek as we began to pull away. "Not fair" I whispered as my lips hovered just inches away from his.

As he let out a light chuckle, his fingers tangled in my hair. Then, a second later his face fell as he stared in my eyes with all seriousness "I'm not rushing into anything."

"Eddie…" I shook my head unsure. As much as I wanted this, as much as I wanted to dive in with both feet blind to what lied beneath the surface, I was scared. And then I wanted to slap myself for over thinking it.

"I'm not saying that it's not going to change and complicate things." Eddie admitted as we stared into each other's eyes, and the nighttime shadows danced across his face. "You said it yourself, we live in two completely different worlds and up until now we kind of turned a blind eye to that fact but I'm ready to face it all if you are."

I smiled slightly as my thumb stroked my cheek "And what does that entail exactly?"

He gently leaned into my touch "For starters, we'll walk up the driveway to your door and I'll kiss my girlfriend goodnight."

My eyes pulled a doe effect as they widened but my smile never faltered "I like the sound of that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah" and then I pressed my lips to his for just a moment before he opened his door, walked around to the passenger side and took my hand as I climbed out of the car.

There was another term of silence that surrounded us as we walked up the long brick driveway but it was a perfect kind of silence, the kind that you breathe in and welcome. The kind you didn't want to disturb. As we walked around the curve the house came into view and the silence was shattered by the sound of a loud bass and laughter and cat calls. Adriana had the house to herself tonight and naturally, in her mind that meant party.

Eddie laughed at the sight of red cups passed about on the lawn and the zebra striped bra that was hanging on the bush that grew against the house. "How much trouble so you think she's going to get into?" He asked as we walked up the steps.

"Any possibility of her going away for spring break is officially out the window." I replied as we came to stand in front of the door, facing each other, breathing in the heaviness of the moment. "Last chance" I warned him. "If you want to take it back, do it now." I held my breath at the end of the sentence, praying that he wouldn't say a word.

And he didn't. Instead his hands cupped my face, the sweet sincerity in his eyes allowing me to exhale my doubts and before I could form another coherent thought he was kissing me. It was like our first kiss, slow and building, causing a swarm of butterflies to take flight in the pit of my stomach and as he dropped an arm to wrap around my waist, I arched my back giving over all control and threw my arms around his neck.

Now both of his arms were around my waist, holding me up as my knees shook with anticipation not leaving me with much stability but Eddie seemed to barely take notice as his mouth worked against mine, parting my lips and giving his tongue full access to the warmth of my mouth.

It was like a switch had been flicked, there was no holding back, no inner thoughts distracting us as we gave into each other. There were no rules hanging over our heads, no reason to worry or second guess. It was a moment of pure desire and it burned in a heated frenzy.

"Oh my god!" At the foreign voice we pulled apart, our heads instantly turning towards the door where a house full of people were staring, some with gaping mouths, almost all with eyes the size of golf balls and a select few with their phones out recording the private moment or snapping pictures.

Then, for a moment, there was pure silence, the kind of silence where you could hear a pin drop. It was stunned silence. I realized I hadn't taken note of the music getting turned off.

My arms slowly dropped and Eddie's arms slowly unwrapped from around my waist as one of his hands reached behind his neck and he turned to me. I offered a small smile. "I'll call you later?" The sound of his voice gave me a bit of comfort in this otherwise incredibly uncomfortable and awkward situation.

"Okay" I expected him to just turn away and make his way back down the steps and driveway, which he did, but not before kissing me quickly one last time. It was his way of saying that there were no regrets and that everything would be okay.

I looked around the room, surprised when my sights fell on Melissa and Adam who looked just as shocked as the rest of the party goers. I realized that that had been the first time either of them had seen any physical connection between Eddie and I. Granted, Mel had heard her fair share. My gaze then continued to scan the crowd of onlookers and I offered an uncomfortable smile before pushing past the few blocking the doorway and stepped into the house, my eyes fixated on my feet and my ears tuned into the sound of my heels against the hardwood floors. I only snapped my head up when I heard a voice I assumed was directed at me "I thought you said it wasn't about him." It was Cameron.

Everyone seemed just as intrigued by this encounter as they had been with Eddie. By now, according to Mel, everyone had heard that I had turned Cameron down. Even Adriana had made a few nasty comments about my lack of interest in him. I was an idiot she had said, Cameron was a good guy and good looking and she was right and as much as Eddie had always been there, tucked in the corner of my mind whenever I was with Cameron, I had genuinely meant it when I said that my feelings for Eddie had nothing to with the way I felt about Cameron. "Cameron" I shook my head as I saw his saddened stare. I didn't know what to say and before I could think of something, he was gone, making his way through the crowd and towards the front door.

The next thing I knew Mel and Adam were at my side guiding me up the stairs and away from the questioning glances and judging glares. Adam must have closed my bedroom door because Mel still had her arm around my shoulders as we sat on my bed. "So you were serious about Loren and Eddie then?" Adam asked suddenly causing both Mel and I to glance upwards.

"Would I lie about something like that?" Mel countered.

"Yes" Adam and I both replied.

Mel tilted her head, her lips in a tight line "Would I lie to either of you, period?" That question was rhetorical, we both knew the answer was no. "I take it you and Eddie talked?" I met her eyes. "That kiss was getting pretty heated and there's no way you would have been that into it with a heavy conversation looming over your head."

I couldn't stop the smile that suddenly flew onto my face. "Tonight was the first time I heard him use the term girlfriend."

Mel beamed as she let out a high pitched squeal and tightened her hold around my shoulders giving me a makeshift hug. "So when's the wedding?"

I looked at her not amused "Ha ha, very funny."

"Are you going to talk to Cameron at some point?" Adam asked bringing Mel and I to a sudden silence. "I know he really likes you Loren and he seemed pretty upset when he left."

"She doesn't have to explain herself to him Adam, it's not like they ever dated" Mel replied for me.

"Maybe not but think of how he must feel, the girl he likes was just caught making out with an international rock star. That's got hurt your pride."

As I kicked off my heels I let out a heavy sigh, tired of repeating the same thing over and over. "Eddie has nothing to do with me not liking Cam."

Adam pointed to himself "I know that, and Mel knows that and you know that but no matter how many times you tell Cam that, he's not going to see it. Just because Eddie had feelings for you didn't mean that his feelings for Chloe automatically disappeared."

"Wait, what does that have to do with anything?" Mel wondered aloud.

"It's a comparison" Adam explained but Mel still looked confused.

After taking a moment to think, I started to understand Adam's point "So you think Cam deserves to know that I wasn't dating Eddie when I first turned him down?"

"Yes."

"_Adriana!" _The sudden booming voice caused us all to cringe as it echoed through the house, bouncing off walls and circling with the ceiling fans.

"Don's home" I announced, earning knowing looks from both of my friends.

With a quick glance around the room Adam asked "Should we go out the window?"

Mel and I both turned to Adam, utter confusion laced through our features. "Why on earth would I go through a second-story window?" Mel looked at her boyfriend like he was crazy.

Adam pointed over his shoulder with his thumb "Because Loren's step dad sounds really pissed off and I don't want to get caught in the cross fire?"

She took a moment to stare at his absurdity before Mel shook her head "No, we're Loren's friends and she's the good child, therefore we don't count as Don's idea of hoodlums and ne'er-do-wells."

A moment later my bedroom door creaked open, following a light knock. "Lo?" Mom peeked her head inside and saw that I had company "Oh, hi Mel, hi Adam."

"Hey Nora."

"Have you guys seen Adriana? I assume she's responsible for the mess downstairs unless the three of you suddenly decided to become raging alcoholics with missing lingerie." She held up the bra that Eddie and I had seen as we came up to the house.

Mel scuffed "I am not that tiny and Loren would never buy animal print anything. That's reserved for me. But if it helps Adriana was with my delinquent brother the last time I saw her which was maybe an hour ago?"

Mom placed a hand on her hip "So you were a participant in the destruction of my house?" I could tell Mom was just teasing her.

"Should I have called to tell you?" Mel almost appeared nervous. It was kind of cute.

"Ye-"

"No" I replied quickly, cutting my mother off. "Otherwise she wouldn't have gone back to Max Duran's place to listen to music."

Mel's palm hit my bed in a fit of disbelief "You and Max?" Mom shot her a disapproving look at the accusation and then Mel held her hands up in defense "Sorry, sorry."

"It was completely innocent" Mom informed before taking a step backwards, out of the room. "If any of you hear from Aid let me know please?"

"Will do Mrs. Masters!" Adam saluted.

"That's Nora to you Adam!" Mom sang warningly.

"I love your mom" Adam said as he turned back around toward us.

"Careful Adam" I laughed. "She's already got a doctor and a rock star fancying her."

A few minutes later I was saying goodbye to my friends. Mel gave me a lingering hug, asking if I was going to be okay. Eddie and I had barely had the chance to let our newly defined relationship sink in and already we had people staring at us and judging us. It wasn't fair and Mel knew that. I assured her I was fine though and watched as she and Adam held hands, making their way down the stairs and as I did so I wondered if Eddie had meant we could take our relationship public when he called me his girlfriend. If he had meant hand holding down the street, kissing on a park bench and piggy back rides on the beach. It wasn't like the choice was ours any longer, the pictures and videos that my classmates had taken were undoubtedly already being uploaded onto the internet. That wasn't a conversation Eddie and I were going to be able to have now. Our private, intimate moment was soon going to be at the world's fingertips.

**So sorry this is late you guys! I misplaced this chapter on my computer and gave myself a mini heart attack at the same time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Are you excited for what's next? **

**Stay classy my loves!**

**-Tia**


	25. She Don't Like the Lights

"_**She can't hide away because the world knows who we are."**_

_**-She Don't Like the Lights by Justin Bieber**_

**It's been forever and day since I've updated and I'm so sorry for that you guys! Things have just been really hectic these last few months but I haven't given up on this story. There's still so much of this story left to tell! So if you're willing to be patient with me, I'd love it if you'd continue to read and enjoy this journey. I don't know when the next update will be but I'll get it up as soon as I can!**

**Stay classy lovelies! **

Red and peach hues blend brilliantly together in the sky as the sun stretches its rays over the tops of the rolling hills surrounding the valley. I draw my knees up closer to my chest as my hands wrap themselves tightly around the hot mug of tea and slowly bring the rim of the mug to my lips, the warm liquid instantly warming my body in the cool and crisp morning air. I find myself wishing that this moment could live on forever, warmth and quiet and stillness all surrounding me in a moment of pure bliss; a moment of complete content. But nothing lasts forever. Moments fleet, usually before we even take the time to savor them. _Savor this, _I tell myself. Then I close my eyes and take a deep breath, inhaling slowly through my nose and silently exhaling through my mouth.

It was inevitable. The moment those cameras flashed and the record buttons were pressed, I knew that the entire world would be looking down at me through a telescope. Whether Eddie and I liked it or not our kiss had gone global, plastered on every major gossip site and blog. We were front page news and not even twelve hours had yet passed.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" My mom's voice startled me and it was then at I realized I hadn't closed the patio door.

I looked over my shoulder, meeting my mom's warm brown eyes. "No, Gina called me this morning. Apparently there's a swarm of paparazzi outside the café waiting for me. She told me to take the day off."

Her eyebrows pulled together as she stepped the patio table, taking a seat in the chair across from me and setting her cup of tea down. "Why would there be paparazzi in front of the café?"

I set my tea down also, my arms folding on the table as I leaned forward engaging in the conversation. "Last night, when Eddie was dropping me off," Mom nodded, indicating that was intently listening, "kids from school caught us kissing goodnight and uploaded pictures and videos online and I guess someone must have leaked where I work to the press because they were already camped out front when Gina got there at five this morning."

Mom took a sip of her tea and shook her head "I'm so sorry hon."

I shrugged passively "It's not your fault."

"I know but I can tell it's upsetting you."

"It's not really even that, that upsets me. It's the fact that Eddie and I just begin to figure out what's been going on between us and then someone has to go and make a spectacle about it." I slowly bob the tea bag up and down with the string, somewhat absentmindedly. "I kind of wanted to keep things quiet for a while. People thinking Eddie and I were friends, that was one thing, but this…it changes things."

"Well have you talked to Eddie about it yet?"

I shook my head, dropping the tea bag string and meeting my mom's eyes again. "I was waiting for him to call me. Plus it's still early he might not even be awake yet."

Mom's left hand then covered my own, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind it if you woke him up for this. He knows that this is all foreign to you. He'll understand that you need to talk it out."

I knew she was right, she usually was. "Maybe…"

"Call him" she said as she patted my hand. "You'll feel better once you spoken to him, I promise." And with that she stood and walked back into the house, pulling the patio door closed behind her, giving me privacy.

I reached into the back pocket of my pajamas and pulled out my phone, my thumb only hesitating slightly before pressing Eddie's name on my contact list.

"Hello?" There was something sexy about Eddie's 'I've just woken up' voice. It was husky, breathy. Was there anything unattractive about this man?

"Hey, it's Loren. I'm sorry I woke you up." I bit my bottom lip as I waited for a reply.

"It's okay, it's everything alright?"

"The paparazzi have already figured where I work. They're camped out in front of the café as we speak and the photos and videos of our kiss from last night have already been uploaded online. It's getting pretty crazy really quickly."

"Are you alright?" He sounded far more alert now, the sleepiness gone from his voice.

I stood and walked down the patio steps onto the grass which was cold and wet beneath my bare feet. "I'm fine, my boss warned me not to go in today. It's just all a little…over whelming." Looking up at the sky, I noticed the water colours slowly bleeding away as bright blue began to push its way through, the vivid glow of the yellow sun now creeping its way higher. "Is there any way you could come over?" The question escapes me before I even realize I've asked it. I hadn't meant to and I close my eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of my nose as I realize that I had. But I don't take it back.

And I swear, if it at all possible, that I hear Eddie smiling on the other side of the phone as he replies "I'm on my way."

I'm sitting back at the patio table, sipping the remainder of my tea, which is now warm instead of hot and just as I begin to contemplate walking back into the house to reheat it, the patio door slides open and Eddie is stepping through. His hair is not styled, his face unshaved and I realize that this is the first time I'm seeing him this way. He must have left as soon as we hung up the phone and with that realization something rushes through me: a wave of weightlessness. My insecurities and worries vanish as it finally starts to sink in: I am a priority.

"Hey" I breathe out as he closes the door.

"Good morning" is his reply before he bends down and lightly pecks my lips. "How long have you been awake?" He asks curiously as he moves a chair and places it directly in front of me before taking a seat.

I tilt my head a little to the head, my own curiosity seeping through. "Why?"

"You just look wide awake."

I offer a small smile "Since just after five." Eddie's eyebrows rise as waits for me to continue. "My boss called me as soon as she went into work. My shift wasn't supposed to start until seven but she just wanted to let me know that I didn't have to come in, in advance." I shrug "I just couldn't get back to sleep afterwards."

Eddie nods in understanding and then leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his eyes begin to pierce into mine. "I'm sorry that you have to deal with all of this insanity because of me. I was hoping we'd have some time together before the media found out."

I can't help the small smile that finds its way onto my lips. At least we had been on the same page about that. "I was too." Then I take a deep breath, our stare never breaking "So what happens now?"

"That's up to you" he says, catching me momentarily off guard.

"What do you mean?"

He reaches for my hand, slowly caressing his thumb over my knuckles. "I don't want to hide this" he says pointedly. "Last night, when I kissed you I promised you that I was all in. Good or bad. I meant that. I had hoped that we would have time to figure more of this out and just be together but now that it's out there and people know I want to be able to walk down the street and hold your hand. I want to kiss you without worrying whether or not a camera is hiding in the bushes. But, I know that this is a huge step for you so if you want to take some time and stay out of the public for a while I'll completely understand."

With my nerves bubbling to the surface, I squeeze his hand, more for my comfort than his. "I don't want to hide either." I confess, my heart racing slightly and I realize I'm not sure if it's because I'm agreeing to a publicly exposed relationship or because he's lifting my hand and drawing it closer to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "I'm scared though." For some reason wanting to have a public relationship and the prospect of actually having one was very different. Especially now that I had a better understanding of what that meant.

He smiles as he rests my hand on his lap while it's still wrapped gently in his. "So am I." And due to the slight quiver in his voice I know he's telling the truth.

The patio door, then slowly slides open and my mom step outside "I don't want to interrupt" she says quickly. "I just thought Eddie might like a cup of coffee."

Eddie smiled kindly and took the offered cup from my mother's hands. "Thank you Nora but you didn't have to do that."

Mom waved him off. "Don just got up and I was making some for him anyway." Mom's gaze then shifted towards me, "How are you feeling?"

"Better" I say as I once again squeeze Eddie's hand and my eyes quickly shift to him and back again.

Mom rested her hand on my shoulder for a minute and then disappeared back into the house. While my eyes followed her, I could feel Eddie's remain on me. "You were really put out by all of this, weren't you?"

I tear my eyes away from the door but don't meet his. Instead my eyes stare intensely at a space between the wooden boards of the patio structure. "It was one thing when the world just saw me as your friend but now it's different. Now, I'm the girl standing between millions of others and their dream guy. Now people are starting to judge me. It's intimidating."

"Come here" Eddie took both of my hands, forcing me to stand and then pulled me towards him so that I would sit on his lap. "None of that matters, okay? This is between you and me, the rest of the world is going to poke their heads in and offer up irrelevant comments but the only people that matter here are us. The paparazzi, the media, they're a part of my life. The worst part and I hate that I'm dragging you into that world but it's my world too and as selfish as it sounds, I want you to be a part of it." I couldn't refrain from pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "We just have to promise to be honest with one another and not let them come in between us."

"I can do that" I whisper. Then I once again bring my lips to his but this time I don't pull away. Instead I bring one hand behind his neck pulling him closer and rest the other on his cheek. As his tongue parts my lips, he brings one arm to snake around my waist and his hand rests high on my thigh, holding me in place. As if I'll break away at any moment.

Instead, I push my body against his so no space exists between our chests and I let myself become lost in our kiss, my head spinning, my heart pounding so hard I know for a fact that Eddie can feel it. Kissing is still new to me; it still sends my nerves on edge even though I know that what we're doing is completely innocent.

His tongue slides against mine and his hand travels further up my leg. Okay, maybe not entirely innocent.

The patio door flies open "You're everywhere!"

Eddie and I spring apart like the same poles of a magnet. "Morning Mel" I say as she takes a seat in the chair I had been sitting in.

She seems completely unfazed by what she's walked in on. "Those pictures and videos from last night are all over the internet! And Leddie is trending on twitter!"

"What?" Eddie and I ask together.

"It's your couple name!" She squeals "How adorable is that?" I let out a small groan burry my head in the crook of Eddie's neck. "What's with her?" Mel asks.

Eddie begins to trace circles on my back with the tips of his fingers, trying to calm my nerves. "She's not really enjoying all of the attention."

I turn my head so that it's still on Eddie's shoulder but so I can also see Mel as she flicks her hand in the air, pushing my insecurities away. "You looked hot in those pics Lo, seriously."

"She's right about that." I lightly hit Eddie's chest and glared at Mel.

"_Anyway_" I stressed, informing them of the impending topic change. "Why are you up so early on a Saturday?" My question, obviously directed to Mel.

"Ugh" Mel sits back into the chair, making herself comfortable. "I forgot to put the dishwasher on last night so Lisa woke me up early and made me wash the dishes by hand. I swear she hates me."

"She's your mom Mel, she doesn't hate you." Mel gave me a pointed look. "You're just really different." I said in attempt to defend my stance.

"Right…" Neither of us really believed it.

"Loren!" Mom's voice carried out from the living room and the three of us looked between each other. "You might want to see this!" The three of us were on our feet and walking back into the house before my mom even finished her sentence.

Walking into the living room, I saw that my mom was watching some kind of entertainment news show and the host was standing in front of the café. Dozens of people were crowded behind her with smiles reaching the tips of their ears and waving enthusiastically at the camera, hoping for their fifteen minutes of fame. I felt Eddie's arm slide around my waist as we made our way to the couch. Once we were seated his arm moved so that it rested around my shoulders. I cuddled into his side, my eyes glued to the television.

"…_gathered around the Aroma Café, a local café here in the valley where Eddie Duran's newly confirmed girlfriend Loren Tate works, hoping to catch a glimpse of the real life Cinderella." _The reporter brought a girl on camera and I instantly recognized her from school. I don't think we had ever even had a conversation though. _"Here with me is Carla Santana, a schoolmate of Loren's._" The reporter then turned to Carla _"What can you tell us about Loren Tate and her relationship with Eddie Duran?"_

Carla beamed into the camera. _"Everyone knew Loren was friends with Eddie but I mean, no one ever thought that it would go beyond that. They're so different, you know? Honestly, I don't think it will last, I mean Loren's a nice girl and everything but she's not cut out to be a rock star's girlfriend. She's the kind of girl who heads to the library on a Friday night. Not to a Hollywood party."_

And that's how it continued. One by one, the reporter brought a new person into the frame who claimed to know me and asked for their opinion of mine and Eddie's relationship. To say I was annoyed or insulted would be an understatement. I honestly didn't have a word for what I was feeling.

"_Loren's always been really quiet." _One girl said. I recognized her from my freshmen music class. _"I honestly don't know what Eddie sees in her."_

"…_I don't see how they're even friends."_

"…_They have nothing in common."_

"…_I've been going to school with her for four years and I've never seen her with a boyfriend."_

"…_She's kind of a know it all."_

"…_I know she's been a fan of Eddie's for like, ever…"_

"…_So not his type…"_

It was my mom who turned the television off. I silently thanked her. "That's insane."

Mel turned to me "You've never even talked to most of those people and they're already passing judgments on you?" Her face was bright red indicating that she was going into protective best friend mode. A mode normally only reserved for Adriana and her clique.

I could feel Eddie staring a hole into my head so lifted my gaze to meet his. "Are you okay?"

Everyone seemed to be waiting for my answer. "I'm not a know it all. Am I?"

Don looked un-amused while Mom cracked a smile and Mel shrugged her shoulders. I threw a pillow at her. She threw it back at me. "What? I'm just saying that you know a hell of a lot more than I do and sometimes you like to make that fact very well known."

"Well maybe if you studied more…" I teased.

Mel laughed "So not worth it." I rolled my eyes at her answer.

"I don't want you going near the café for the next few days Lo. I'll call Gina and tell her that I want you to take the week off and let this call cool down a little and Eddie…" Eddie looked to my mom while I stared up at him. "If you're out with my baby you watch her like a hawk. I don't want one hair out of place on her head." It was closest thing to a threat I've ever heard my mom say. I knew she meant it as attentively as possible though.

Eddie gave a short nod. The threat didn't seem to faze him. "Yes ma'am."

Mom moved into the kitchen to call Gina and Don had followed her, the newspaper tucked under his arm leaving Mel, Eddie and I alone.

"Seriously though, are you okay?" I smiled at my best friend's concern for me.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Then I glanced up at Eddie. "Are you still all in?"

Eddie kissed my forehead "Are you?"

"Yes" my voice was stronger and more assured than I would have expected.

"Me too."

"Aw," Mel touched her hand to her heart and then gestured a finger between Eddie and I. "You two are so freaking adorable." Then she pointed to the T.V. "See, if those people could see you now they'd eat their uninformed words."

I sank further into Eddie's side. "What are we going to do today, now? I'd hate to say it but I think our plans of hitting the mall later are out."

Mel nodded "Yeah, you should probably stay away from large crowds for the time being."

"How you feel about a beach day?" Eddie asked, catching us both off guard.

Mel looked a little uneasy "The Saturday before Spring Break? I thought we agreed she should stay _away _from large crowds."

Eddie took one of my hands in his, lacing our fingers together. "My dad owns a bungalow a couple of hours up the shore. We used to go there in the summer or on weekends when my parents weren't touring. It would be a good place to go and get away for the day."

Eyes widening, Mel cracked a smile "Could I invite Adam?"

"Yeah, invite whoever you want." With that Mel was off the couch, thumbs already expertly riffling through her phone for Adam's number.

"Is that okay with-" I kissed him before he could finish.

I let my lips linger for a moment before pulling away, resting my forehead on his. "I thought you said you hadn't been up there since your mom died. Are you sure it's okay with _you_?"

This time Eddie kissed me, his fingers tangling in my hair as he brought my lips closer to his. "My mom always intended for that bungalow to be a place to escape and I think today, we're both in need of an escape." We kissed again. This time I shifted so that I was straddling his lap and facing him. My arms wrapped around his neck and his hands rested on either side of my waist. As I leaned forward, the hem of my tank top slid up and Eddie's hands slowly made their way to the exposed skin on my hips, then they stilled. He never pushed me past my comfort level. "Is there anyone else you want to invite?" He asked between heated kisses. I simply shook my head and pressed further into him, my lips catching his bottom lip between them.

"You?" I asked, taking a second to catch my breath. His lips were back on mine before I could exhale. As my hands traveled down his chest, I could feel his heart racing just as quickly as mine.

"I might invite Ian out, if that's okay?" He mumbled against my lips.

"Mhmm" was my only reply as his lips slowly moved from mine, across my cheek and then slowly down my neck.

"Adam's on his way!" Mel exclaimed as she came into the room.

I leapt off Eddie's lap and retook my earlier seat, pressing my back firmly into the back of the couch. "Great!" I replied a little too excitedly. I earned pensive look from Mel who slowly shifted her gaze between Eddie and I. Then she let out a small chuckle "Were you two making out?" Neither of us answered her blatant question. "You do realize there is only one wall separating you from your mom right now right?" Again, crickets. "Don't everyone speak at once now."

I turned to Eddie "You should go call Ian. It shouldn't take Adam more than ten minutes to get here."

"I'll be right back" Eddie said as he stood and gently kissed the top of my head.

As soon as Eddie was out of the room, Mel plopped down beside me. "Now you see what I've been talking about." Her grin was mischievous. "Isn't making out awesome?"

I laughed lightly as I brought a pillow to my chest and felt a blush creep onto my cheeks. "No complaints so far." I admitted shyly.

"You look happy." It was a simple observation but it had so much weight dangling from it. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

"I guess love does that to you."

"Love looks good on you."

The sound of bare feet slapping against the marble floors distracted both Mel and I and we turned to see Adriana heading towards. Her footsteps silenced as she reached the carpeted area of the living room but the force behind those steps remained just as powerful. "No one thought to tell me that Eddie was here because…?"

Raising an eyebrow, Mel replied "Because he's not here for you."

Adriana scowled and turned to me "And you, what's with you keeping your relationship with him from me? You didn't feel like I had the right to know?"

"No."

Adriana rolled her eyes, picked the remote up from the table and made her way to the love seat before turning the T.V. on and turning to some kind of reality show.

Mel and I both left the living room and made our way into the kitchen where my mom and Don were on opposite ends of the island, reading separate sections of the paper. Upon hearing us enter, Mom's eyes snapped upwards and she offered us both a small smile. "Hey, I talked to Gina. She seems to think that you taking the week off is a good idea as well."

"Awesome!" Mel sang and she clapped her hands together. "You not having to work over spring break is like, the greatest news ever!"

I rolled my eyes at Mel and then turned back to my mom "Okay, I actually wanted to let you know I'm heading to the beach with Mel, Eddie and Adam in little while."

Mom looked apprehensive "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Max owns a beach bungalow up the shore and Eddie's says it's pretty secluded so we won't be bothered while were up there."

Letting out a heavy breath, Mom reluctantly nodded "Okay but be careful."

I smiled at her concern "I always am." Then I excused myself as the sound of the door bell rang throughout the house.

By the time I reached the front door, Eddie had already opened it, his cell phone still attached to his ear. Adam and Eddie exchanged a silent greeting and as Adam closed the door Eddie's eyes found mine. "Alright man, we'll meet you and Cora up there…Yeah, sure…okay see you later, bye."

"Hey, so he's coming?" I asked as I made my way across the foyer.

"Yeah, he's going to meet us up there and he's bringing that Swedish model Cora with him." Eddie replied as he slipped his arm around my waist and kissed the side of my head.

"Hey guys! I'm all set to go!" Adam waved. Over his shoulder was an inflatable circle, already blown up and ready while a towel hung loosely around his neck. Sunglasses were perched on his head, a dab of sunscreen visible on his nose, sandals on his feet, a cooler in hand and his swim trunks were already on. Pink and yellow Hawaiian flowers against light blue. Set was a bit of an understatement.

"Hey Adam" I greeted back with a bit of a laugh and moments later Mel came around the corner and threw her arms around his neck.

I pulled Eddie away from the couple and started for the stairs, pulling him up into my room.

"Adam's certainly enthusiastic." Eddie said as he sat on my bed and I dug through one of my drawers for a bikini.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped through my lips "Yeah, well, you kind of get used to that. If we had told him we were going to the circus he'd of shown up in a full clown costume." Unable to decide, I held up two different bikinis. "Which colour?"

Eddie's eyes went a little wide at my question "The purple one." He said after a moment of hesitation and I threw the yellow back in the drawer.

"Knock, knock" Mel said as she came into the room, a hand over her eyes "Everyone descent?"

"Not funny Mel" I replied.

She shot me a playful smile "Is my bathing suit still here from the last time I used your pool? I don't want to have to grab one from back home."

"Yup," I walked into my bathroom and grabbed her tankini from the drying rack before handing it to her.

"Thank you, and can I borrow a towel?"

"We've got towels and stuff up at the bungalow" Eddie replied.

"Oh, okay, perfect. Well then, Adam and I will be downstairs waiting for you guys." Mel left the room, closing the door on her way out and I rolled my eyes at the not so subtle action.

I grabbed a tote bag from my closet and threw my bikini, wallet, keys and a pair of shorts inside of it. Then grabbed my sunglasses off my desk and pushed them back onto my head. "I'm good to go. Do you need to stop by your place to grab anything?" I asked as Eddie began to stand and head towards me.

"Nope, I've still got stuff tucked away back at the bungalow." His arms snaked around my waist and he pulled me in close.

"Mel and Adam are waiting for us" I playfully pointed out as his eyes trailed down to my lips.

"They can wait another minute." And then he pressed his lips to mine. Needless to say, I didn't argue.

**If any of you have a twitter account let me know! I made an account to keep you guys updated on my stories and just to simply keep in touch with you all so I'm happy to follow anyone who asks! The link to my page will be posted on my profile. **

**-Tia**


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